Kaze no Tayori かぜ の たより
by HARPG0
Summary: Final chapter! Seto visits Jou in the hospital. Chapter 40 is now up! This is a shōnenai sequel to Takane no Hana. If you don't know what shōnenai is, you probably want to move on to the next story. Thanks!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: Yup, I don't own Yugioh, the characters or anything else along that line. This is just for fun. Thanks!

**Note**: In English, _Kaze no Tayori_ would be something like "a message carried on the wind." It's a statement that can't be confirmed or denied; a rumor.

* * *

Kaze no Tayori

かぜの たより

Chapter 1

Jounouchi Katsuya and Kaiba Seto walked down the hallway. Both guys were each carrying a large, taped up cardboard box. Jou was having a little trouble holding his because the contents inside kept shifting awkwardly with each step that he took. Seto carried his box easily.

"What's in this? Rocks?" Jou complained. "I don't know why they need this stuff." Slightly bent over as he was, Jou could feel his blue high school jacket riding up in the back. It annoyed him, too.

"And just _why_ did you mention me, Mutt?" Seto said, cutting his eyes dangerously at Jou. Jounouchi smirked back, looked around to make sure that no one was in the hallway, and picked up the pace to keep up with him.

"I wanted to hang out with you," Jounouchi said sheepishly. "Think of it as a little play time, no work."

Seto shrugged and kept walking. The two of them had been dating for about a month now. And they'd both decided to keep their relationship as quiet as possible. But, sometimes, it was hard because Jounouchi stared at him during class, and Jou tended to blush a lot when the look was returned.

"Sensei needed to get these boxes taken over to the stage so that the drama club could practice after school. Now here's the genius of it," Jou said with a toothy grin, "this would get us out of class early, and we could just… be _together_… for a few minutes longer," Jou said, smiling at the floor now.

Seto sighed openly. "And _how_ did you explain to her that you wanted me, of all people, to help you move the boxes? Everyone thinks we hate each other—well, except for your friends."

"That's the best part," Jou said and snickered a little, "I told her that you and I had called a truce. And that I was giving you a chance to be nice."

"Wait. WHAT?" he said, shocked. "_You_ were giving _me_ a chance…?" Seto growled with each word.

"Yup," Jounouchi said and gave Seto a playful nudge of his shoulder with his own shoulder.

"Mutt, everyone knows that _you_ are the one who does stupid stuff. The official story should have been that _I was giving you a chance_."

"Oh, that's not very likely, is it? Your rep is that you are not the forgiving type. Heh. Heh. Heh." Jounouchi smiled closely to Seto's face, "And that's too bad, you know."

Seto glared.

"You can kick me hard if you don't like it," Jou flirted back.

Jounouchi jumped quickly when he noticed Seto's foot heading his way.

"Hey! You almost got me."

"A pity," Seto growled.

"I could have been hurt."

"A pity," he growled again.

The door to the auditorium was held open due to a wooden wedge shoved into the door at the bottom. Jounouchi cast Seto an injured look and followed him inside, accidentally bumping the door with his box as he did so. They could hear hammering and hesitated for a second. It took a minute for their eyes to adjust to the dim light coming from the stage. Jou jumped slightly when the auditorium door came to, slamming behind him.

"It's only the door," Seto mumbled.

"You're so good to me," Jounouchi whispered, dripping with sarcasm. "I can see how much you truly care."

Seto glared darkly in his direction.

The two of them passed rows and rows of fold down chairs covered in cheap, red velvet. The stage was made of a light colored wood with black scuff marks and there was a layer of sawdust everywhere. High up, Jou and Seto noticed Fujisawa Kenichi up on a platform--working on one of the sets. He had a hammer and box of nails---trying desperately to keep his balance and to nail in another piece of wood. It didn't help matters that while Fujisawa-kun had a talent for designing sets, he had a fear of heights, too. And that made him easily distracted.

"Hey!" Fujisawa shouted, followed by a goofy wave. "Thanks for bringing that stuff over. I was beginning to worry that I wouldn't have time to go get it."

Seto looked up_. Why does this school attract nerds? Come to think of it, am I the only normal one here?_

"Hi ya!" Jou called back with an equally dorky wave of the hand. Seto glared at him.

"Stop that," Seto grumped.

"Stop what?" Jou said back, confused. When he didn't get an answer, Jounouchi looked up at Fujisawa. "What are you making?" Jou asked.

"I'm designing a set for the play that Anzu wrote called 'Kikkoden.' You know, it's the age old story of the weaver princess and the cow herder prince. Since we need a starry sky, I've got that to do-- as well as this bridge here."

"Bridge? Ummm… It looks kind of like a platform to me," Jou shouted up.

Fujisawa nodded. "It will be a really big bridge by the time I'm done with it, and it will cross the sparkling 'Celestial River' in the sky. I'll have the weaver princess on one side," he gestured to where he was standing. "And, then, we've got the cow herder prince on the other," he pointed to the opposite side of the stage. Then, we've got the dramatic scene when they cross over the river, join hands, and they fall into each other's arms. Yadda. Yadda. Yadda. Audience swoons at the romance. The curtain comes down."

"And Anzu wrote this dribble?" Seto said to Jou with distain.

Jounouchi shrugged back. "I guess she's more of a romantic than I thought." He started to hum a song and Seto glared at him again. Under his breath, Jou sang to himself, "The stars go twinkle, twinkle; Gold and silver grains of sand." Seto stood with arms folded and listened to him, but pretended to be annoyed.

Jou looked at him out of the corner of his eye and said softly, "Oh, come on, Kaiba. You know the Tanabata song. Everyone does."

Seto said quietly back to him, "Don't expect me to join in." But with a shrug, he added, "You sing well, though."

"Thank you." Wink.

Fujisawa picked up the hammer and twirled it in his hand, trying to be a little macho. It felt nice having the undivided attention of Kaiba-kun and Jounouchi-kun. Both guys were looking up at him and that image felt good in his mind. Fujisawa didn't even notice himself kicking the box of nails off of the narrow platform that he'd just constructed.

"Oh, hell!" Fujisawa said as he saw the box fall off in slow motion and land on the stage with a metallic, jangling thud. The good part was that he'd closed the box. None of the nails fell out. But, the bad part was that he'd have to climb all that way down to get it, and he was afraid he'd forget his place—what he was working on now. He looked down at the guys below him. If he asked Kaiba to help him, the answer would probably be a huge, loud "no." That was Kaiba's rep at school. However, Jounouchi's reputation was that of a nice guy with a big, loud mouth. He hung out with Anzu, Honda, and Yugi. So, he had a better chance of asking Jounouchi to get the nails.

"Sorry, Jounouchi-kun, but could you bring up the nails?"

"Sure," Jou said, putting his large box on the stage and climbing up onto the stage itself--even though the narrow stairs were less than a meter a way. He grabbed the small, dented nail box and then went for the ladder. Bored, Seto put everything that he was holding down on the floor and stared up with arms folded.

_Jounouchi is too nice. He says "yes" to everything. Every once in awhile, he should just say "no,"_ Seto thought with a sigh.

"I really appreciate this," Fujisawa said and reached a hand out. The box passed hands. Jou got onto the platform with Fujisawa just in time to see the clumsy guy drop his hammer.

"Oi! Kaiba-kun! Head's up!"

Seto had already seen it and stepped back, blue eyes wide. A loud, dull "bang" followed by Kaiba's cursing echoed in the auditorium.

"Shit! What kind of _fool_ are you?! Don't you know what you're doing?" shouted a commanding voice from below.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Fujisawa said, bowing and moving past Jou. "I'd better go and get this one myself," he muttered to Jounouchi and went down the ladder. There was no way that Kaiba would help him out now and give the hammer back.

_Good luck with that_, Jounouchi mused. He stopped for a second and looked around. The set was really good, if not great. He liked the nighttime design with stars and sunset colors. Plus, he had an unusual view of the auditorium from this height. Unlike Fujisawa, Jounouchi really loved views from a height. It made him feel connected to everything.

"Kaiba-kun, I'm _really sorry_," Jou heard from down below, ruining the moment.

"Well, you should be! That thing could have killed someone—namely, me! Think, for once, before _you_ do something, _fool_." Seto used the rude Japanese word "you" and enjoyed doing it.

_Enough, Kaiba. You're turning Fujisawa into the "I'm sorry machine" and all he's going to do is apologize to you now and gripe about you in the locker room after gym is over._ Jounouchi sighed openly. Sometimes, Kaiba could be a total pain in the posterior. Plus, this outburst was making Jou squirm inside. "Hey, Kaiba? I think we're done here," Jounouchi said, interrupting Seto's next volley of insults. _I'd better get him out of here before he embarrasses me any further. Not that anyone knows we're "together," but---_

Jounouchi took a step and the platform slid several centimeters…down. It took a second for his brain to realize that the platform moved on its own. He froze. "Oh, hell!" Jounouchi whispered to himself, his voice breaking as the stage shifted laterally now. The wood and metal began to groan. A part of the backdrop, which was constructed of small, colorful pieces of paper, began falling off in whirling bits.

Seto's head shot up. He could see his blond puppy stranded far above the stage, wide eyed, and helpless.

"Jounouchi?!" Seto shouted. He glared hatefully at Fujisawa, grabbed a fist-full of his school jacket, and pulled him forward. "Hey, you, listen to me! You built this piece of crap." Seto pointed an accusing finger toward the stage. "Go get sensei! Hear me? You go get her!" Fujisawa, looking guilty, nodded absently and began to head for the door, but kept looking back as he was doing it—half expecting the whole thing to collapse.

"Run, you fool!" Seto shouted at him with a fist raised.

Suddenly, the dark haired student was beating cheeks out the door and down the hallway.

_Now that the idiot's gone…_ Seto thought angrily.

Bamboo poles, resting against the wall until needed for set decoration, fell and rolled all over the stage. Half of the boards gave way under Jounouchi's feet and smashed into the paper lanterns below. Bits bounced off the stage. Seto raised an arm to block the shower of debris. "Hey, Mutt?!" He could see that Jou was holding onto the red velvet curtain with his left hand and a metal rail with his right. The rail was starting to groan, too.

Jounouchi's heart was racing. His body was stiff with shock. He looked down and tried to shift his foot on the sharp fragments of board that were remaining.

"Stay back, Kaiba!" Jounouchi shouted, but it sounded more like a wail.

Kaiba ignored him and jumped onto the stage in one leap. He stepped onto the ladder, which, he quickly noted, shifted under his feet as he climbed. At the top, he leaned forward and thrusted out a hand to Jounouchi.

"Let go of the curtain and take my hand!" he ordered.

Jou blinked back, face white.

"I said, COME TO ME!"

"R-Right," Jou breathed. The blond made a lunge, and his body fell through the last of the boards. Jounouchi was dangling now-- holding onto the metal rail. His hand was sweating and he felt himself starting to slide.

"NO!" Seto shouted. His voice echoed. Seto leaned over and grabbed Jou by the wrist.

"Come to me!" Seto demanded again. "I'll find a way to get you back."

Seto tried to pull but realized that his school shoes didn't have much tread under them. Seto began to slide, too, and Jou could feel it. They were both sliding down. Jou shook his head "no" and his hazel eyes were pleading.

"Now is a really inconvenient time to learn what the word "no" means, Mutt!" Seto bellowed at him.

"We're both going to _fall_!" Jou yelled back. He imagined the feeling of falling onto stage, but not alone this time. His heart beat harder. _No! We can't do that_. _I won't let it happen_. They started to slide again. Seto dug his shoes into the cheap wood. The blond shook his head "no" in frustration. Jou's heart was beating painfully against his ribs now. _If I can shift just right, I can pull Kaiba against my body. Wrap myself around him…protect him… I'll hit the ground first… I have to! But, if I make a mistake… _He looked up into blue eyes. He loved them so much. _No, I can't risk it. _

"I'll think of something!" Seto dug his short fingernails into flesh.

"No," Jou looked at him, hurt. He forced himself to feel calm, to feel nothing—the way he did every time a bully was about to hit him hard.

_Don't think about the next second, _Jounouchi told himself.

"Kaiba? Just let go."

"What?!" Seto was red faced and furious now. "You…cannot be…_serious_!"

"If I fall, I won't die from this height."

Seto glanced downward. There was a growing pile of wood, nails, and debris on the stage. "You are crazy! Do you hear me?" His eyes grew hard. "I can't believe you'd think I would do such a thing."

The platform continued to crumble. It was raining planks of wood and the metal groaned again with a deep voice.

"It's okay," Jou sounded reassuring now. "Just let go. I'm pretty sure it will be okay. Meet me down there, right?" He gestured with his eyes to the stage.

"No!" Seto growled, "And I'm not the cold-hearted bastard that everyone thinks I am. I'm not going to do this. So, you can just deal with it." He leaned forward and tried to hold onto Jou's wrist with both hands. If he could just get a better grip, he could pull him up.

"I wish you would listen to me," Jou said, looking down fearfully. He just couldn't help himself.

"That's not your wish and you know it!" he yelled back.

There was a sudden lurch and the whole structure shifted left. Jounouchi, dangling by one arm and his entire weight hanging down from it, jerked, too. Seto could feel a sickening shift in the arm and the muscles. The arm pulled.

Jounouchi shot his head back and screamed.

"Jou?!"

"My _arm_! _Let go_, Kaiba! My arm!" Jou's knuckles were white and the arm was shaking with veins sticking out of it like tree roots. Jounouchi was still screaming at him and Kaiba tried to block the sound out of his mind, and to think of a way out of this situation.

"Take my hand!" He ordered over another long, hideous scream that followed. "Move your other hand, and take my hand!"

They were both slipping again.

Jou's face showed the agony that he felt. He moved his other hand up…and tried to pry Seto's fingers from his wrist. Seto gnashed his teeth and snatched the free hand roughly.

"Let go!" Jounouchi ordered, "I _am not_ taking you with me!"

"Listen, you bastard, I am not doing that!" Finally getting a good grip, he pulled Jou's chest onto the remnants of the old wooden platform. Jounouchi whimpered when his body slammed against the sharp, edges. Seto put one hand and then the other under the blond's arms. He pulled him into a bear hug, lifting him up. Quickly, Seto had Jounouchi against him, short nails digging into his back with the force of one hand, and pulling him down the stairs.

Once they got down onto the stage, part of him wanted to kick Jounouchi hard, but he could see the tears on his face and he was cradling his right arm with his left.

"Hurts. Hurts," Jounouchi said, leaning weakly against Seto.

"What line of crap were you trying to sell me, huh? Drop you? I would never let you fall!" Pieces of the set on the far side of the stage began to crumble, too. "And let's get the hell off the stage before the rest collapses."

With a rough hand gripping the blond's shoulder, Seto forced Jou down the narrow stairs to the ground level. But Jou wasn't moving quickly enough for Seto, who cast worried glances behind him. "J-o-u-n-o-u-c-h-i," Seto growled at the other's back "we're _going_."

Shoving Jou's back with each step, Seto prodded him back up the isle. He complained bitterly each step of the way, too. "How could you think that of me? How? Why be with me if you think that? And what were you doing? You were trying to make me let go of you even when I refused!"

Jounouchi stopped, head down and eyes in shadow. He turned to Seto. His arm hurt like hell in places and felt numb in others. The feeling was getting worse. It wasn't an arm. It was like a piece of meat attached to his shoulder. The pain was agonizing but he stopped anyway and leaned his head against Seto's chest.

Blue eyes narrowed. Seto took an impatient, huffy breath_. Oh, no…Don't even try to make up with me right now! _he thought. Seto grimaced. He was really going to let his dog have it. "Hell, Jounouchi! I…" he began right in Jou's face.

The blond let his right arm dangle at his side. He stared up like a stranger into Seto's eyes. Hazel locked with blue. Seto blanched. Suddenly, this wasn't the Jounouchi he knew.

"I hate you." Jounouchi thumped Seto's chest with his left hand doubled up. "How could you think of falling _with me_? It's okay… for me… to fall, _but_ _not you_." Jounouchi said the last three words through gritted teeth, his voice deep and angry. "Mokuba depends on _you_. He needs _you_."

Jounouchi leaned his body against Seto again. He trembled. "Mokuba's not eighteen like you are. What happens to him if you're not there? He goes back into an orphanage, that's what!" Dizzy, Jou leaned his head against Seto's shoulder for a second. "He'll be alone again. Do you remember what 'alone' feels like? I do."

Seto blinked back in surprise, taking it all in. His eyes softened a little when he looked down at the blond. "Jounouchi…I see …I…"

"I hate you." Jou squeezed his left hand into a fist. He thumped Seto's chest. Seto took the weak blow, cringing slightly and putting a firm hand around to the small of Jounouchi's back to steady him. He could feel Jou body leaning awkwardly and noticed his face turning white again.

"I hate you." Thump.

"I hate you." Thump.

"I…hate…you!" Thump.

"I HATE YOU!"

"Yes, we all know that pretty well, Jounouchi-kun," Yukimura Sensei shouted from the double doors at the back of the auditorium. She had a very guilty looking stage designer by her side twiddling his thumbs and hoping not to be noticed until sensei had calmed down a bit. The short, stocky Japanese woman with a flat chest and thick glasses stormed down the isle. She gave Jou a dour look. He was barely on his feet, face flushed with anger, and an arm that was clearly injured.

Yukimura Sensei's sharp eyes looked over to the crumbling set—shredded paper, velvet curtain hanging down limply, twisted metal and tons of wooden debris. All of that work for nothing and the new set materials would probably break the budget.

"How did this happen?" she snapped.

Seto's face twisted into a scowl. "That idiot," he pointed to Fujisawa, "designed a 'bridge' that wasn't safe. And I had to go get this idiot here," he gestured to Jou, "before he fell to his death."

"He's not in the drama club," Sensei said, frowning back. "Why was he up there?"

"Let's ask the fool who dropped the nails and wanted Jounouchi to bring them up to him, why don't we? Lazy, if you ask me."

"Which I didn't," Yukimura Sensei snapped back.

Jounouchi wasn't paying attention. His body tilted slightly. He cradled his right arm in his left arm again, eyes far off. The pain was so bad that Jou had to remind himself to breathe

_In and out…just breathe…in and out…again…in and out…I wish they'd shut up…in and out…assholes, all of them…in and out… _

A part of Seto wanted to hold Jou, no matter who was looking. But, he gave his word to Jounouchi that they'd be discrete. And, in this at least, he'd do his best and keep his word. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Jounouchi almost fell to his knees. Seto grabbed the back of his school jacket at the last second and pulled him up by it. To sensei, this looked like Seto was becoming a puppet master.

"I see…" She gave Jou a kinder look, and Seto decided to cut her a little slack.

"Take him to the nurse's office."

"He can't make it like this," Seto said in a monotone. He'd had enough experience with Jou to know when he simply couldn't go on. "Do you want me to carry him?" Seto scowled deeply with dull eyes. He pretended that the thought disgusted him. "Then again, I could _drag_ him," he said with a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. She saw the look.

"No, have him sit down," she gestured to one of the red velvet auditorium chairs, "and I'll ask the nurse to come here. But, I think we'll have to send him to a hospital."

"No hospitals," Jounouchi said, his eyes far away.

She glanced at the arm, "You'll go and not argue." She started to walk away, but stopped and said to Seto, "I'm glad you two are learning to get along better."

_Lady, you have no idea just __how well__ we get along_, Seto thought tartly.

She left for the nurse's with Fujisawa trailing behind with, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I mean, nothing was going right. First, there's the nails…and then the hammer…." He was bowing and walking at the same time. His whiney voice faded into the distance. He disappeared from sight.

Watching them go, Seto's shoulders slumped a little in relief. He folded down one of the red chairs and guided Jounouchi into it. Jou was doubled over, clutching his arm.

"Hurts…oh, man…this feels really bad…"

"You can hate me some more if it will make you feel better," Seto said, taking a chair next to him. His voice was quiet, and his eyes on the floor. "Maybe, I was wrong. I wouldn't let you go. This is what happened."

Jounouchi was taking short, huffy breaths now. "Questioning yourself, Kaiba?" Jou said roughly. "That's not like you." Jounouchi leaned forward with his head down on the back of the theater seat in front of him, eyes cast in shadow. Jou tried to breathe through the pain. He'd been sitting like that for a minute or so before he shook his head to clear it, and forced himself back in his own seat.

Seto cast a quick, worried glance and then stared at the floor again. Jounouchi saw it.

"But it's okay… I don't hate you," Jou breathed, closing his eyes to shut out the pain. "Deep down, I really don't."

"That's a coincidence," Seto said, eyes cutting in his direction, "I don't hate you, too."

"You wouldn't let go of me. I've never mattered that much to anyone." _Even my own family_, he thought bitterly. His hazel eyes looked far away for a second, remembering something. He took a sharp breath and closed his eyes tightly, slouching down in the chair a little.

"You do matter," Seto said quietly, almost reaching out a hand to Jou but quickly taking it back, "even when you hang out with the geek squad, make me mad, argue with me, say 'yes' to everyone, tell bad jokes…sing…"

Jounouchi fought hard to stop shaking. His body felt weak, too. "Really? Then, you'd better hug me before they come back with the nurse."

With relief, Seto reached over and held Jounouchi—gently placing Jou's head against his chest. He tucked the blond head under his chin. "You could have been hurt. And I mean, worse than this…," Seto murmured, stroking soft blond hair with his right hand. Now that it was all over, Seto allowed himself to feel upset. His hand shook a little.

"A pity," Jounouchi said back with a slight smile. "Isn't that what we said earlier?" Jou reminded him.

Seto glared at the comment and hated himself for it.

"Jounouchi?"

"Hmmm?"

"Just curious… Since when did you start to care so much about my little brother?" Seto asked, his tone serious.

Jounouchi tilted his head back and rested it against Seto's shoulder, chin raised. Hazel eyes looked up into blue ones.

"The minute I fell in love with you."

"You may come to regret that," Seto said, followed by a sigh.

"Never."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

School was out for the day. The park had a particularly nice, shady tree that was their favorite. It had a huge trunk, wide branches, and a lot of green leaves. Mutou Yugi and Mazaki Anzu were sitting together on the grass—enjoying the peaceful breeze in the afternoon. Anzu tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear when the wind blew against her.

"Here we go, one more chapter," he said with a slight yawn.

Anzu winked at him and he blushed a little.

_He's so cute when he acts like that._

"Okay…let's see…back to studying. The Kofun period (which began in 250 AD) is named after the burial mounds (古墳,) that were being constructed in Japan. This period saw the rise of military states organized around clan groups and formed more highly structured systems of laws, government, and social strata—including the establishment of the Japanese imperial lineage."

Yugi continued reading the history textbook—pretending that they were actually studying together. It was his excuse to be with her and, not being fooled for a minute, she leaned back and listened to his voice with mild amusement.

Yugi gave her a subtle glance. _I really want to kiss her. I keep seeing it in my head over and over. Gotta stop this. Ugh! Back to the book. Just… read… it… _"This contrasts…the following… historical period…" _I can smell her cherry lip gloss. Kiss her. Kiss her. I'm going to turn a deeper shade of red…just like cherries! Ugh! Gotta stop this. She can tell something's up. I just know it._ "…at which point…" He looked confused for a second. His eyes narrowed, searching. "Sorry, Anzu, I lost my place for some reason."

Anzu held back a laugh, covering it with one hand_. This is his way of talking to me_, she thought_. Of having something to say… If that makes him more comfortable, then, I'm happy, too. _

Now that Yugi had grown to Anzu's size (a whopping 5 ft 5 inches) they could stand next to each other, looking eye to eye, with his tri-colored, pointy hair making him appear taller from a distance. Anzu guessed that his ego needed for him to be the taller one. She smiled at that, too.

"Just relax," she said. "We've studied this in class one hundred times. It's okay, really."

"Hmmm…I suppose you're right." He lowered his head. "I'm making this more difficult than it has to be." _But I really like her. So, I guess, it can't be helped._

"Just start again, from anywhere. Forget that I'm here, and just say what's on the page."

"Y-u-p," he said slowly, partially to himself, with a slight nod. He began to read again. As he did so, he started to calm down. But, within minutes, he came across a particularly long sentence and yawned slightly in the middle of it. As he turned the pages, he leaned more heavily against the tree. He could feel the bark biting into his back, but it didn't bother him so much. He just focused on what he was doing because Anzu asked him to. Soon, Yugi's violet eyes were starting to close from the dryness of the next topic.

Anzu watched him again with a smile playing on her lips. He had changed a lot since their childhood days. And, now, she had noticed that her feelings had changed for him as well.

_It's a little awkward for me, too,_ she thought, _but I don't want to give this feeling up._

Yugi snored softly, interrupting her reflections. She reached over, closed the book, and covered his hand with hers. Yugi was dozing peacefully against the tree with the book in his lap. Ten minutes later, his head tilted a little more in Anzu's direction with each breath. Anzu watched and smiled broadly. Next, his head was on her shoulder, soft breaths caressing her cheek. Anzu blushed. Her face, ears, and hands turned a dark red.

_I'm so glad he's asleep,_ she thought_. I'm sure Yugi never feels this strongly. It's kind of funny, though._ Then, she smirked a little to herself, watching his peaceful face as he slept._ I wonder…if we were married…well…_ _I'd be_ _Mutou Anzu, huh?_ _Would he look like this in the morning? His face is so beautiful. What would our children look like? _Then, she imagined actually making the children with Yugi in their own bed and blushed again.

From behind her, footsteps approached the tree where they were sitting.

_Oh, no!_ Anzu thought, all romantic thoughts flying from her. _Could it be Jounouchi or Honda or someone else from school?_ She looked over with embarrassed eyes at Yugi sleeping on her. _Oh, what if it's a teacher….or Kaiba? Not good! Not good! _She tried to shift Yugi off of her as she heard two or more sets of feet approaching the opposite side of the tree. _Oh, no! A crowd?! What'll I do?_

Instead of leaning back or waking up, Yugi snuggled in against her. He lifted his head. His mouth was close to her face, lips soft.

"Anzu?" he murmured sleepily. Her eyes were locked on the soft lips approaching her. "Hmmm…Don't leave me, Anzu." Violet eyes were half open, staring at a point far, far off.

_He's still half asleep,_ Anzu thought, but then the lips found hers. Anzu's eyes widened. The kiss was soft and comforting. She moved her head away and Yugi rested his head against her again. He snored.

Footsteps were coming closer. Her eyes shot toward the sounds. She held her breath.

All of the feet stood and shifted on the opposite side of the enormous tree.

_Who is it?_ Anzu worried--but put a hand to her lips and looked down at Yugi. He had kissed her once before on the evening train heading back to Domino, but certainly not in his sleep. Did this one count? She wasn't sure exactly...

"Okay, who's got the stuff?" a rough voice said.

"I've got some in the case, here. The rest is at the warehouse--right where that guy left it."

"Okay, let's see the samples."

"Whatever you want." This voice used the rude Japanese "you" and continued in his bored way, "I'm sure the little kiddies will like this a lot."

"The teenagers like these, too, and will pay big money."

A third voice, younger and speaking in a somewhat higher register than the rest said, "I plan to ship some of it out of Domino and into other parts of Japan next month. There's few details that I need to work out first, though."

"Yeah, we know you've got contacts in shipping."

"Let's just call it a tradition among our kind," he said sarcastically.

Anzu's eyes grew wide. "Who are they?" When Yugi snored again, she covered his mouth with her hand and shook him gently until his violet eyes opened.

"Hmmm? Yugi said, looking confused and disoriented.

"Shhhh!" Anzu put a finger against her lips. She pointed to the tree and leaned as close to it as possible to not be discovered. Yugi, fought off his drowsiness and tried to follow her lead. Anzu pointed again when the voices spoke.

"We'll just keep this secret among us. I don't think the big boss will be interested in these kiddie cards anyway." He didn't sound convincing or sincere. The others laughed. "So, he can stick to the usual things like gambling and girls."

"Hey, Midorigawa," he left off the honorific as usual, "what about that note that they found at that rich asshole, Pegasus', house?"

"Pegasus?" Yugi whispered, giving Anzu a serious stare.

"Hell yeah, I got a photocopy of it today from one of our 'friends' who works with the local police over there. That note says that we've got some duelers here in Domino who were involved in stealing some of our money."

"Oh, really?" said the high pitched one in a nasty tone. "The way I heard it was that some dame who was at that mansion probably stole the money. I had a few contacts at Pegasus' place, too. He doesn't treat his people so well…if ya know what I mean."

Feet shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah, it's probably that bitch," the other voice said. "You know how women are."

"Well, these duelers _know something_… and I'm gonna get it outta them."

"So, you know who they are?"

"Yeah, yeah. Names were mentioned… in code…in Korean. Here, look," the voice said followed by the crinkle of paper being unfolded.

"Midorigawa, you know I can't read."

The others laughed heartily.

"Hey! I mean, I can't read that Korean crapola."

The wind picked up. Yugi and Anzu pushed their bodies flat against the tree.

"Hey, grab those before they fly away!"

"Will do, boss!" the others growled.

"Right, right…you assholes. Well, I'll just do a little follow-up and get back with 'cha. Be ready."

"I'll help ya, too, boss. Just let me know."

"Kiss ass," another said with a nasty tone.

Yugi and Anzu gave each other worried glances. They could hear the sounds of feet trudging off. Yugi turned and tried to peek around the tree, but Anzu had his shoulder. She shook her head "no" furiously.

"I'm scared," she said in a half whisper, "don't look. Okay? What if they see you?"

"But, we need to know who they are and what they look like," Yugi said, worry in his voice. He let another minute pass and then he peeked. Four dark haired men, one with a fuzzy permed texture, had their backs to them—walking away from the park wearing suits and carrying briefcases.

Yugi and Anzu walked around the tree to where the strangers had just been standing. "I don't understand any of this."

"Well, from their Japanese and the growling way they talk, I'm guessing they are…umm…yakuza," Anzu said, worry in her eyes.

"Yeah, that really concerns me."

"And it seems like they're after someone," Anzu said.

"Several 'someones.' They mentioned Pegasus and a woman, too."

"I don't remember hearing Kaiba-kun or Kaiba's men talking about what happened to Namiko at Pegasus place when we were there."

Yugi nodded. "And I don't remember seeing a note or money. Then again, you and I spent almost all of our time in the art gallery," he said.

"Are we going to be okay?" Anzu said again, biting a fingernail.

"When we get home, I'll see if I can contact Pegasus. Maybe, he knows something."

"Will he talk to you?" Anzu asked, her face frowned in concern.

Yugi looked back at her. _Anzu, no…I hate it when you look at me with such a face._ "Hey, I'm 'Yugi-boy' to him. I'm sure he will," Yugi said with a reassuring tone. Though, deep down, he really wished that he felt the confidence he was inspiring.

The wind blew again and Yugi's eyes caught hold of something on the ground, shifting in the grass with each gust. It was a Duel Monsters trap card called "Mind Crush." The card depicted a human hand touching a defeated looking man on it with a purple background.

"Oh, there's a card that would make Kaiba-kun cringe," Anzu said.

Yugi's answer to her was an awkward shrug. In his memory, Yugi could see the duel in which Kaiba lost and his mind shattered—sending him into a coma. Things were, now, very different between Kaiba and the rest of them—especially Jounouchi. For Jou's sake, he'd try to keep the peace. And, to do that, he'd have to let go of the past. Hopefully, Kaiba would be able to do the same.

"This card's a fake," Yugi said, examining it. "Just from touching it, I can tell you."

"So, what are they doing with a fake Duel Monsters card?"

"I'm going to take this to Grandpa and see what he has to say," Yugi said, biting his lower lip in thought.

"Good! I'm coming with you!" Anzu said enthusiastically.

Yugi looked at Anzu, head tilted slightly. Putting an arm around her shoulders and smiling very closely to her face he said quietly, "Somehow, I just knew you were going to say that." He laughed at her a little. His violet eyes shined.

"I'm glad," she said, leaning in a little, too.

Then, he suddenly looked down, grinning to himself.

"Is there something?" she asked. The wind was blowing against her and Anzu had to struggle a bit to keep her skirt down.

"Wha-? Oh, it's just…when you looked at me like that...a second ago…"

"Yes?"

"I dunno…I just had this strange dream before I woke up just now…and…" _Why did I have to admit __that__ to her? Why??? _Mentally, he kicked himself a few times_. I'm so stupid! Of course, she's going to…_

"Oh?" she said with arms crossed and faking innocence, eyes wide and curious. "What was it about?"

_Yup, that's it! Why oh why did I have to tell the truth?_ He felt his face flush at the question. "I just…kind of…" _Of course, she would __have to ask__ that!_

Anzu gave him a level stare and he shrunk back a little.

"I see… Did your dream feel like this?" she asked, cupping his face in her hands. He could feel his heart beat harder. Sweetly, she pressed her lips against his in an exact copy of his kiss. _She's so warm._ He closed his violet eyes and felt himself melting. Yugi wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned into her.

When the kiss ended she glanced left and right saying, "I'm kind of glad no one's around to see that."

Yugi nodded in agreement. "Me, too." He held her against him for a second longer and then, regretfully, let her go whispering in her ear "thank you."

They picked up their books and walked away toward The Game Shop. For a second, Anzu saw Yugi's face change into something that looked more like Atem than the Yugi she usually knew. But she understood why. They had a plan—for now. Determination was etched in his face.

_Yugi told me that he and Atem are the same soul—two pieces of the same person. _

"Let's get going," she said, making tracks for the sidewalk.

"I'm right beside you," he returned with a sharp nod.

_Yes, Yugi and Atem--they're the same soul._ She accepted this thought and no longer wrestled with it. _And I was right from the very beginning. They are both two pieces of the same puzzle—and…_

Yugi gave her a quick, sidelong glance as he walked.

"I saw that," she said with a smile in her voice

_Yes, I love them both._

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It had been two days since the incident in the school auditorium and Jounouchi was glad to be back at work with no one the wiser. Luckily, nothing was torn or broken. His arm was still sore as hell, but he wasn't going to complain to Mr. Satou, the owner, because he really liked this well-paying job and enjoyed the gentle banter with the regular customers that he met. Jou thought vaguely, as he swept with the broom and dustpan, about having his own coffee shop someday—maybe.

The bell at the top of the door jingled. The Domino City Coffee Shop's "open" sign swung hard on the glass door as it was jerked open. Instead of customers, though, Jounouchi noticed the short, unmistakable shapes of Mokuba and Satou Yuna as they entered.

"Busy?" Mokuba said with a perfect Seto-like smirk. He saw the mess.

Jounouchi had been cleaning up a coffee spill that Yuna's father had caused when he tried to hand a freshly ground bag to a customer without closing it tightly. Jou's yellow baseball cap had been turned backwards and he had a very determined look on his face as he cleaned. The smell was wonderful nonetheless, and a part of him was crying a little on the inside at the loss of precious coffee.

"So, father's here…I see…" Yuna said serenely, eyes on the floor.

"Ummm…yeah," Jou said, cutting his eyes to the door leading to the back room and the family's apartment upstairs, "I think he's here somewhere."

Yuna nodded with an understanding air. She placed her stack of books down on the nearest table and Mokuba, following her, did the same.

Jou stopped sweeping when Yuna approached him, head cocked to one side. She stared at him and, strangely, almost right through him.

"Ummm…Yes?" Jounouchi said with a hint of worry. _Do I have spinach in my teeth or something?_

"How is your arm?" she asked with a coolness that didn't seem like her at all. Her dark brown eyes had an odd sheen to them.

"Ummm…well….I had a little bit of trouble with it, but I made it in to work today. My regular schedule, too."

Yuna nodded with a thin smile. She started to walk away but looked back at him and thought, _I see you falling but not falling. Why? _Her body tensed up as she glanced into Jou's curious, hazel eyes and then tried to interest herself in her stack of school books. Yes, she "saw" things sometimes in her mind's eye and, today, it annoyed her. She flexed her right arm for a second. _You could have been hurt worse than this. A pity. You asked the impossible. _Yuna sighed to herself because she couldn't say any of what was coming to her. As a Japanese, she had learned long ago to mind her own business._ He had to hold onto you. He was hurting worse than you were, you know. His soul has more scars than yours. _Yuna rubbed the back of her neck briefly. None of what she thought made sense, either.

_He'll think that I'm stupid or crazy. It will change things between us if I say something. Nothing that I have to say would matter anyway because it's all in the past,_ she thought.

Yuna blinked hard and picked up her dictionary. She opened it at a random page and looked at it—seeing everything and nothing. Looking over to Mokuba, she smiled serenely.

_Yuna does that sometimes. She just spaces out_, Mokuba thought almost apologetically. He had a wry smile on his face that she noticed right away.

"Please forgive me," she said with a bow, hands clasped together.

For Mokuba, it didn't take much effort to regard her kindly. Wearing a dark grey dress with a wide, bright blue belt and eight silver jangle bracelets, Yuna looked divinely pretty to Mokuba. Her hair had grown out a bit in the last month and her bangs were in her eyes. The rest of her hair fell away from her as a long, black braided rope in the back—perfectly smooth, not a hair out of place.

_She's really cute…especially when she wrinkles her nose like that_, Mokuba thought.

Then, he noticed that she wrinkled it again and again… Her eyes scanned the room, looking for something. She paced.

"Sorry, Yuna-chan," Jou said, noticing her and pointing to the spilled coffee with the stiff arm causing him pain. "I'm getting the last of it."

"Father?" Yuna called in her usual calm tones. "Father?"

_Holy crap, I'm in for it now if he comes back and I've still got the grainy mess he made five minutes ago. Yuna's a total pain right now. Ugh!_

"Yuna-chan? You got back early," Mr. Satou called to her.

"Father, we have a problem."

_Yuna, you're an ass!_ Jou fumed to himself with a scowl, dumping almost the last of the ground coffee into the trash hurriedly with the dustpan. He winced. His arm was starting to hurt again. The cramp was getting a tight grip. He rubbed the arm.

Yuna, with her back to him, turned around and stared. She was holding her arm the same way, too. She blinked at herself and shrugged it off.

_How did she know…?_ Jou thought, mouth open slightly.

"Father? This room has an awful aura."

"Eh?" Jou said out loud—followed by an echo from Mokuba.

"This simply won't do," she sighed to herself.

"An awful _aura_," her father sounded amused and Mokuba held back a smile. "Well, it's probably that dark Jamaican coffee that I just spilled on the floor. It wasn't me, of course, the bag broke."

_The bag…broke? Yeah, right…_ Jou thought to himself with a smirk.

"Sorry, no," she said back—walking the floor, forwards and backwards, somehow trying to track down the exact spot. "And it wasn't here when I left for school."

"We have an aura? _Of course_ we do," her father said from the other room, amused. "Do you think your tarot cards will get rid of it?"

Yuna laughed back at him. "A reflection of my soul is not going to help this mess," she said calmly. She leaned her back against the coffee bar, hands clasped together with fingertips pointed up, and scanned all of the tables in front of her. Then, her eye caught it. Yuna walked cautiously to a table in the far left corner by the picture window. It was icy cold and pulled at her with an almost irresistible force. All four chairs were tainted and the tabletop was particularly dark.

"Do you want to do your homework here?" Mokuba asked, pointing to the table. Her eyes were drilling holes into it as he spoke.

"Oh, no," Yuna said with a small shake of her head. "This is where the dark aura is. Let's do our homework at the coffee bar." She pointed to the last two bar stools and Mokuba got on one.

_Well, she is fourteen_, Mokuba thought, _and, I guess, older women can be weird at times. _

Yuna pushed the white maneki-neko (good luck cat statue) out of Mokuba's way so that he could spread his books out.

"Father?" she called again, "I'm going to have to light some candles on the last table later on and, maybe, feng shui the whole coffee shop."

"On your allowance?" he shot back.

She shook her head sadly. Clearly, he did not understand the gravity of the situation. "I'll just light a candle and pray a lot," she said under her breath and sat next to Mokuba. "Father does not understand the metaphysical," Yuna whispered to Mokuba, who blushed a little at the soft whisper in his ear.

"Oh, by the way," she said. "Look what I bought from a student in my class," she tossed her bangs out of her eyes, "—with the last of my allowance." She handed Mokuba a Duel Monsters card that she was using as a bookmark in her English dictionary. "Pretty, isn't it?"

The card was "Holy Elf." It had the image of a blue skinned maiden with brunette hair and an ornate headpiece. The elf's hands were clasped serenely in front of her, as in prayer, with a brown background.

Mokuba frowned a little as he turned it over in his hands. "Sorry, Yuna-chan, this one's a fake."

"A fake? Really?"

"Yes, you can tell it's a fake Duel Monsters card because the monster's name is written in hiragana—but, you see, it should be written in katakana. And, see here," he pointed, "the image isn't crisp. It's murky and the colors are running together. The holographic square is wrong, too."

"But, it's so pretty!" she said cheerfully.

"You got taken, Yuna-chan," he smiled at her a little when she shrugged. "But, you know, there's a lot of these fakes around Domino at the moment." Mokuba was trying to sound encouraging. He liked her new interest in Duel Monsters. It gave them something new to talk about.

Jou looked up from his work and Yuna offered the card to him with both hands. "Yeah, that's true. It seems like we've got fake cards everywhere on the streets these days. But, don't worry. It just means that you have to do more than just learn the rules of the game. You have to know what a real card looks like, too."

"But," Yuna said, taking her card back, "if I hold it in my hand, it is real. If I play with it, it is real."

Both guys looked at her and shrugged. "There's 'real' and there's '_real_.' See?" Mokuba said.

She brightened up. Smiling, she said, "No!" She laughed. Like twins, both guys put their hands to their heads in frustration.

"Oh,Yuna-chan," Jounouchi sighed and went back to grab a cloth. He wiped down the coffee bar but avoided the spot where Mokuba and Yuna were working. He tried to stick to business and held back a smile at the two of them. Mokuba kept stealing glances at Yuna, who for some reason that Jou didn't quite understand, always knew he was watching. She'd smile serenely ahead, at nothing in particular, and would go back to her work. She also nibbled on the end of her rainbow-shaped pencil eraser in thought--which made Mokuba grin. After about thirty minutes, they were both done.

"Would you like something, Mokuba-kun?" she asked.

"Nope."

"I was going to have some cocoa—if you'd join me." She smiled at him. He was about to say "no" again when she added, "I hate drinking alone." She gave him a wink. Yuna wondered, briefly, where she'd gotten that particular line from—a movie, perhaps—but it was what she needed to say to get him to agree. She knew that much at least, and she always trusted her instincts. Mokuba's eyes widened with boyish glee and felt himself agreeing to just about anything now. Jou laughed inwardly and wondered if he was like that with a certain CEO.

Yuna got behind the bar and started making the cocoa, even though Jou offered to do it. She simply shook her head "no" and that was the end of it. But, Mokuba could tell that her eyes kept going back to the table in the far corner, and her smile faded a bit when that happened. Mokuba also noticed that Yuna and Jou kept bumping into each other—which almost never happened during the other times he'd been to the coffee shop. Jounouchi kept saying "sorry" and Yuna would smile vaguely or say "sorry" right before bumping into him.

"I think we…need to go…the other way," Jou said awkwardly, trying not to step on her as she reached for the paper cups.

They made mirror movements next—each trying to avoid the other and not doing so well. "Thanks," Yuna joked quietly, "I enjoyed the dance." Mokuba frowned at that, too.

_There is no way this can be coincidence_, the raven-haired child thought sourly. _I guess, she likes Jou better than me._

"Sorry, Yuna-chan. Our timing must really be off today," Jou said, slightly annoyed, but trying to hide it. She reached for the lids.

_And that's going to be a really hard explanation considering he loves my brother_, Mokuba thought about last night. As Jounouchi was leaving the mansion after dinner with his denim jacket slung over one shoulder and Seto escorting him to the door, Mokuba had heard Jou say seductively "Suki da yo." Like all Japanese, "I like you" really meant something much deeper and Mokuba knew that. He saw them leaning in for a kiss and had discretely ducked back into the dining room.

Now, Mokuba had a deep frown, and his elbow on the counter with his head leaning into his palm. _Maybe, I should just go home._ He sighed to himself.

Yuna came back with the two cups and smiled at him from across the counter. Jounouchi took out the broom again and began sweeping around the tables. "I might as well finish sweeping up the place," Jou said quietly. He started at the right end of the coffee shop and began to work his way to the left. Yuna watched and her lip trembled a bit.

"You see, Mokuba-kun… I…" But her mind wandered.

He made his way to the far end of the room, near the corner table. Yuna watched him with hawkish eyes, but softened them when looking at Mokuba.

"I guess you've noticed, haven't you?" she said.

"Well, it's kind of… hard to miss," Mokuba pouted.

"It wasn't on purpose, really," Yuna's thin smile faded again. Her face slackened. "I just…sort of…realized it now."

"Look there's something about Jounouchi-nii that I think you should know about," he began. _Okay, Yuna, he's "batting for the other team" and he'll never be interested in you like that… Me, on the other hand… _

"I'm protecting him," Yuna said with finality.

"Eh?" Mokuba said, mouth hanging open. "From what? Coffee stains?"

"Something bad," she said fearfully, her brown eyes wide. She tensed up, watching Jou moving closer and closer to the far table, sweeping quietly. The broom made a soft sweeping sound against the black and white floor. "I dunno…just _bad_… How can I…?" she whispered to herself. Mokuba watched her eyes well up with tears, nose turning pink. She saw the image of something sharp and silver. Her face curved miserably into a look of despair with two pearl-like tears dropping down. "I dunno…to do…" She saw the image of something burning.

The yellow broom was sweeping back dust. Jounouchi took another step.

"Can't stand it…!"

Mokuba followed her gaze and then back to her. _Eh???_

Yuna grabbed her cocoa, ripped off the lid, and splashed herself with the entire cup. The warm, brown liquid went everywhere.

"Katsuya-kun! Help!" she screamed.

"Whoa? Yes? What?" Jounouchi was startled. He dropped the broom. Yuna never shouted—ever. He ran to her. Before Jou knew it, he was looking at a totally drenched Yuna-chan, dripping in warm cocoa down the front of her dress and leaving a puddle on the floor. The empty cup was in her left hand and she was biting the tip end of her index finger so hard that her eyes were filled with tears.

"What, _the hell_, is going on down there?" her father barked, followed by the sound of stomping down the stairs. Mr. Satou stormed in through the open doorway and saw the cocoa.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, eyes wobbly. "The mess…"

It took a second or two for Mr. Satou to make sense of the brown puddle and her obvious "wet dress tragedy" that, he supposed, must be awful for a fourteen year old girl to have in front of the two guys who were her only friends. Yes, it had to be one of those embarrassing "teen things." She chomped down on her finger again and Mr. Satou kindly pulled her finger out of her mouth.

_Drama queen,_ he thought tiredly. "It's really no problem," he said, forcing himself to sound sympathetic and kindly. "I spilled today, too." He gave her back a fatherly pat.

"Yeah, no worries. Okay? I'll go get the mop," Jou said and left for the bucket and mop in the storage closet.

"Why don't you go change before it dries and you get all sticky?" her father suggested. "I need to go and make a call about that delivery that never showed up." He chuckled to himself a little as he went back to his work.

Yuna nodded shakily. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"Yuna?" Mokuba said, wide eyed and worried.

"Yes, I know, it was drastic," she whispered to him with urgency, her eyes crafty now. It was a whole new side to Yuna-chan that he'd never seen before. And he liked it very much. Mokuba leaned in to hear more. "But I couldn't let Katsuya-kun near that table. So, can you help me…please?" She blew on her sore index finger and gave it a quick wave of the hand.

Like a co-conspirator, the raven haired boy found himself nodding and listening to her.

"Okay, while I'm getting changed, I _need you_," she said and Mokuba grinned a little, "to light this candle."

_Eh??? Do what???_

She pulled out a small, white votive candle in a glass container from under the coffee bar and some matches.

"Light the candle over here and walk it to the far table." She pointed at it.

"_Right_," Mokuba said unenthusiastically.

"Imagine yourself surrounded by pure, white light so that the aura doesn't bother you."

"_Right_," he said again with less feeling.

"Thank you! Thank you!" she said, leaned over, and gave Mokuba a kiss on the cheek. His eyes widened in shock. He covered the spot with his hand and grinned.

Yuna had almost disappeared out the back door when he called to her, "One last question…"

"Yes?"

"What does that 'aura' thing look like anyway?"

"Oh, you can't see it?"

"Umm… that's why… I'm…asking…" His mouth was a thin line.

"Sorry," she said smoothly, "it's a muddy green color that turns moldy black…but with energy…kind of like a black halo."

"Which means?"

"Since all four chairs are tainted, there were four of them. It has something to do with the table…or something on the table…I guess. These people have something in common or they're alike in some way. Connected… Doing something disloyal… But it's more than that... They also have a lot of resentment, blame others for mistakes, are unforgiving, and hold a lot of anger. Black auras suck in light or energy and totally consume it. It's a bad chi magnet. What it has to do with Katsuya-kun, I don't know just yet."

"_O-Okay_," Mokuba said awkwardly.

"Oh, and speaking of him, please promise me that you'll look after Katsuya-kun for awhile, too." She put her hands together in a way that reminded Mokuba of the Holy Elf card. She bowed lowly, and the front of her dress splattered brown liquid on her shoes. Still bent over, she shook her wet foot a little.

_She's bowing to me? For that?_ He felt a bit embarrassed. Mokuba nodded back but didn't know why he was doing it. Then again, he would have agreed to anything at this point, really. _She's __not__ in love with Jounouchi!_ he thought happily. _It's just another happy day in "Yuna-Land." And all I have to do is keep an eye on Jounouchi… What a relief!_

"It doesn't make sense, but I'll probably go back to normal if you do that."

_Back… to… normal_, Mokuba wrestled with his face, trying not to smile. _What is __that__ for her anyway…?_

Still dripping, Yuna walked over to Mokuba. He could feel his heart beat a little harder from her calm gaze, her brown eyes shining. "You know, you are the first person who has ever let me be myself without demanding an apology." She shrugged and looked at the brown liquid on the floor, sloshing some with the toe of her shoe. "And…I …trust you…" Jou walked back in with the bucket and mop just in time to see Mokuba getting another kiss on the cheek from Yuna. Somehow sensing he was there, she suddenly stopped and looked over to Jou. She smiled at him calmly and walked past him as though in a dream, heading upstairs.

"Nice job, Mokuba," Jou said, grinning happily at the thirteen-year-old. He kept his voice down for confidentiality.

Mokuba blushed deeply and tried to shrug it off. He lit the candle and walked over to the table, placing it at the center.

"She thinks this will get rid of the…_aura_," he said, hoping against hope to change the conversation.

"Oh, there was an 'aura' in here, but…"

"If you tell anybody, you're… _so dead_, _Jounouchi_!" Mokuba fumed, ripping at his own hair in embarrassment. He could just imagine Nii-sama and Jounouchi teasing him about having his first kiss. They'd probably do it at the dinner table, too. He'd never live it down.

"What happened to 'Jounouchi-nii' ? Jou laughed. "I thought you liked calling me that."

"Jounouchi-nii, don't tell!"

"So, you don't want another kiss...?"

_That was my 'other kiss,' you dork-face._ Mokuba turned a deeper scarlet.

"A man to man promise… We keep this between you," pointing a finger at Jou, "and me," motioning to himself with his thumb.

"I thought it was between you and Yuna-chan."

A dark glare.

"Ah, yes… Welcome to the world of 'love,' my dear Mokuba," Jou said dramatically while shoving the mop into the bucket with a slosh. "And just remember... Some days are going to be great. And some days are going to suck royally."

"Can we change the subject?" Mokuba asked, feeling his face burning hot. He took a sip of his drink and watched the candle flicker on the table.

Jou laughed again and mopped up the cocoa spill off the floor. "At least, today, you didn't suck," Jou said under his breath. Mokuba heard it and choked hard on his cocoa, making it come out of his nose. He wiped it on the back of his sleeve.

"Hey," Jounouchi said, "that is _cocoa_ coming out of your nose, right?"

"Shut up."

"You know, you sound like your brother when you say that."

"Shut up."

"So, it was _cocoa_ after all—not a nosebleed."

"You're an ass."

"That sounds like your brother, too."

"I'm _so glad_."

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It was late. Kaiba Seto walked wearily into his own home with the laptop case in one hand and the light grey coat of his business suit slung over his left shoulder. Deep down, he was glad that the weekend was coming. And, for once, he wasn't gong to work on Saturday or Sunday because he'd promised Mokuba. To be honest with himself, he was going to "work" on a little computer code from home even later into the night, so it was okay for him to skip the usual weekend alone in his office.

Seto passed the darkened living room and saw two figures asleep on the Victorian-styled couch. His little brother, Mokuba, was snoozing, snuggled into the oversized creamy brown throw-blanket that that silly, effeminate interior decorator said matched the couch. (Which, in Seto's opinion, it didn't.) And Jou was sitting next to him with a large bowl of popcorn in his lap. Jounouchi's head was tilted all the way back, head resting on the back of the couch, and his mouth was wide open. He drooled a little. _Disgusting_. Seto curled his lip. Then, he looked at the big screen TV. The movie they'd been watching was, mercifully, over and the DVD player kept playing the same short piece of punk rock music repeatedly with the menu screen begging to replay the whole monster flick again and again for all eternity. Poorly animated space ships zoomed in and out of the screen.

Seto moved around to the coffee table and picked up the DVD box with a slight hesitation. _What kind of piece of crap movie is this?_ He looked at it, and his mouth twisted into a nervous, twitchy curve. The box's title read "Wild Zero."

_Wild---what? What, the hell, is this?!_

Seto's eyes narrowed at the summary as he read: "The power of love and rock-and-roll music will defeat the forces of alien zombie mayhem in this gender-bending saga featuring the Japanese punk band Guitar Wolf. See Japanese culture at its finest!"

Seto put a hand to his head. _Which idiot sleeping on the couch thought of this?_ Seto dropped the box on the coffee table. He reached out a hand and gave his raven-haired little brother a small nudge. Mokuba opened his eyes slowly and smiled when he saw his big brother.

"Wanna join us?" he sighed before closing his eyes again. He hugged the blanket.

"Go to bed," Seto ordered and gave him a hand up.

"'Kay," Mokuba said as almost a yawn and padded his way quietly to his room.

Seto leaned over and gave Jounouchi a much harder nudge. But, it didn't work. He watched Jou's face for a second. He seemed to be in REM sleep, eyes moving quickly from side to side.

Still leaning over in the semi-darkened room, Seto gave Jou almost a shove this time.

"ZOMBIE!" Jou shouted, eyes flying open and staring up at Seto—who had arms akimbo. There was a brief popcorn shower.

"Is that a criticism?" came a snide voice. "Considering you are a card carrying member of the Geek Squad, I don't think you can talk." Seto narrowed his eyes at Jounouchi, flicked popcorn out of his own hair, and crossed his arms.

"Oh, you're home… Heh…heh… Welcome back… Mokuba and I…" He looked for his partner in crime, but he'd disappeared.

"Mokuba went to bed," Seto said, taking the mostly empty bowl from Jou's lap and putting it on the coffee table, "and so should you." He offered a hand up.

"Yup, you're right," Jounouchi said, ruffling his own hair lazily, "and I will… tomorrow night." Jounouchi found Seto's hand, pulled him down on the couch with him and put the throw over them both. "Goodnight, Kaiba."

Seto's face softened a little, but he sighed inwardly, too. _This is so typical of Mutt. I'm sure he sleeps in his street clothes and doesn't even care._ "Jounouchi?" he whispered, "I'm in a designer business suit."

"Deal with it," Jounouchi said, squirming around and snuggling in. His cheek and one arm were resting on Seto's chest now. Their legs tangled together. Jounouchi smelled like buttered popcorn. If he hadn't been so tired, then…he and Jou would…together…tonight…

_But, no,_ he sighed to himself inwardly_—I'm too tired_. "I always sleep in pajamas."

"And I want my _Kaiba-blanket_," Jounouchi snickered again. "You feel warm."

Seto refused to consider it. _What if we fell asleep like this?_ "Mokuba will find us here tomorrow."

"Does that really matter? He knows the way we are. He's okay with it. So, welcome home, Kaiba," he said with a yawn. "Now, get some sleep."

"Did you hear me?"

Jou cut his eyes at Seto._ You really know how to kill a mood, don't 'cha Kaiba? Ugh!_ Jounouchi gave a short, impatient huff. "_Fine_," he said with a deeply annoyed edge in his voice, "I'll go back to the house now. I don't even know what time it is… Doesn't matter… You know, that ceramic bowl of stale popcorn," he pointed to the coffee table, "is a lot warmer than you are after all. See ya tomorrow." _He's such a jerk sometimes…waking me up and all…_

Jou started to get up, doing almost a push-up on top of Seto, and felt himself getting pulled down again.

"Who said you could leave, Mutt?" Seto's trademark smirk returning to him. _I didn't mean go back to your father's house, idiot. I wanted you to stay here…sleep here…in the bedroom that you like._

"Great, insult me some more, why don't cha?"

He trapped Jounouchi on top of him, putting a hand on the other's lower pack and applying a gentle pressure. He looked up into stern, hazel eyes.

"I really made you mad this time, huh?"

The hand made slow and gentle strokes—the kind that Jounouchi's body enjoyed way too much. The blond tried to ignore it even though his heartbeat had picked up speed. Deep inside, he was hoping that his voice wouldn't betray what else he felt.

"I'm sleepy and I'm mad," Jounouchi grumped back, fighting to ignore the gentle stroking. "And insulted…" _You jerk!_

Hazel eyes glared downward. In response, Seto's eyes took on a lean and hungry look to them. His gentle pressure on Jou's back moved to the waist. With both hands now, Seto's fingers pressed into Jou's sides and made a slow, determined trek downward. Jounouchi took a sharp breath and rested his body on top of Kaiba, moaning a little_. I can't believe I just did that in front of Kaiba. I lost control for a second._ He cursed himself for being weak when he should be angry. Seto saw the look and enjoyed it.

"Did I just insult you again?" Seto said seductively in his ear.

Jou didn't answer back. He could feel the hands making the same motion downward again. His body trembled for a second, and Seto touched Jounouchi's hand when that happened and stroked it. "Insulted?" he whispered and watched all of Jou's determination drain away. He took the blond's hand, placed the palm to his mouth and drew a warm, wet circle with his tongue. Seto leaned in for a kiss and Jou, weakly, bent over to meet it, but Seto turned away suddenly. Then, he reached for the DVD box on the coffee table. "No, this movie's an _insult_," he said with a knowing smirk. A hand stroked blond hair out of Jou's face. Seto's mouth came very close to Jou's again, but then he turned his face away. "Next time, before you let my little brother watch a zombie movie, call me and ask if it's okay."

Jou blinked back, feeling slightly flushed from everything—including his "almost kisses." His heart was beating hard, too. Jounouchi struggled to engage his brain again-- thinking to himself, _I guess the old saying is right. Men have two heads and can only think with one at a time._

" Wha-? Oh yeah, I guess…that's fair." But then he smiled a little and leaned his forehead against Seto's. "Next time, though, we want you to join us." He said it quietly. His buttery breath tickled Seto's face.

"A zombie movie…?"

"Yeah," Jou said stroking Seto's cheek with his thumb, "though, for you, it would probably be like looking into a mirror."

Seto stared evenly.

"No, really," Jou said smiling wide and pulling his face back to look at him, "you should see yourself at the end of the day."

Seto frowned immediately with a flash of anger. "And all you ever do, Mutt, is play," he shot back.

That hurt and Seto saw it_. I guess I said too much, even if it is the truth._

Jounouchi thought about it for a second. His bruised ego was making an itch in his heart that he couldn't scratch. _Just a few minutes ago…with Kaiba…I almost…and now, I'm so mad at him! Grrrr! _His jaw was set, too. _Oh, is that what you think?_ "I have two jobs and go to school. You work one job in an air conditioned office. I'm a worker bee, and you're a big boss."

Seto nodded back, half listening. Jou had made these comments before. It was nothing new. It was the same _"Pity me why don't you?"_ speech that he found so boring. And it would all end the same way, too. Going through the motions seemed to be the easiest thing. Seto watched the ceiling for awhile.

Seeing this, Jounouchi touched Seto's chin. He gently turned the face toward him and gave him a level stare--hazel eyes narrowing. Uncomfortable, Seto tried to jerk away. Jou placed his whole hand against Seto's cheek and forced him to look him in the eye.

"If I worked like you… If I acted like you… If I dressed like you… If I spoke like you… Would you…love me then? Would you tell me 'Suki da yo'?"

Seto blinked back in surprise. "That wasn't what I thought you were going to say," he murmured. Somehow, what Jou just said didn't fit the script in his head.

"But I knew that's what you were going to say." Jounouchi patted Seto's shoulder in a friendly way—the kind of pat that you would give to someone you barely knew—and got off of Seto and the couch. "And, you know, you're right." He picked up his scruffy blue jean jacket off the edge of the couch. "It's late. You worked hard, and you want to get some sleep." Jou gave Seto a short wave of the hand. "Bye. See ya in school."

Out of the corner of his eye, Seto watched him go—and fumed. _Why does it always feel like it's my fault?! Baka! Baka! Baka!_

"Stupid Mutt," he mumbled under his breath as he watched Jounouchi put his shoes on at the door. Jou didn't look back. He put his jacket on and walked into the night air.

The wind was cool and it felt good.

_The stars are out tonight,_ Seto thought as he followed his blond puppy. He looked up and saw a hazy riverbed made of white pin pricks of light. _With all of these street lights, the Celestial River_ (the Milky Way) _doesn't seem so bright. What does seem bright is…_. He looked up directly overhead. The moon was almost full and still rising, making it bright and possible to see just about everything. He saw his own "moon shadow" cast eerily against the ground, cold and short.

Jounouchi was several meters ahead of him, walking in the casual "mutt-like" way that he always did. At times like these, Seto could see the past gang-banger in Jounouchi. He had the mien of someone who was an outcast and had to protect himself. And while he never stared anyone down, he did know who he was and where he as going. The "don't mess with me" message was communicated pretty clearly and two men on the street avoided him, averting their eyes.

Seto sighed to himself and wondered just how much of that was caused by, or even encouraged by, dating the "great Kaiba Seto." Then again, Seto knew full well that his own walk wasn't that of a humble Japanese citizen, either. But, he was okay with that.

Jou passed a few bars and there were more people on the street now. He seemed to shy away from the couples that passed him, half-drunk women clinging openly onto their men and chatting in the way that they do sometimes when "three sheets to the wind." One fat woman, who was in desperate need of a support bra, seemed particularly bossy to her man and Seto watched Jou laugh to himself.

_By now_, Seto thought, _Jounouchi has probably gotten over his 'mad' and will be more reasonable. Why do we fight like this now? Well, if you can call it a 'fight'… Back when we dueled, we would yell all sorts of insults. But, now…_

Seto watched his puppy a little more—making sure he'd be okay on his way back to his father's house. As usual, no one would be there. The house would be dark, too. But it was just a place where his mutt slept for six hours (and, sometimes, less). Still, that bothered Seto somewhere deep inside. For a little over five weeks, now, he seemed to feel better knowing that Mokuba and Jounouchi would be waiting for him at the mansion with stories of how their day went, who they met, what they did…all of them eating a very late dinner that the cook had made… He'd smirk and make some sort of witty or sarcastic remark that would cause the other two to laugh out loud. That was home.

Seto watched Jou a little longer—and his eyebrows knit together. There were two shadows on the ground ahead of him. One was clearly Jou's and the other….? Seto felt his heart beating harder. His eyes darted. He looked, trying to penetrate the darkness. The second shadow left and then returned stronger thanks to some street lights. It stopped when Jou stopped. It hesitated. Swiftly, it ran to catch up with Jounouchi. Then, it walked with a casual pace and then shrunk or faded away. The shadow stopped again and stepped back, getting smaller.

Seto jogged to the spot where he thought the person was standing. The narrow alley with a streetlight shining through was empty—only trash and old produce crates from the corner grocery remained. Seto shook his head in frustration. He looked ahead and saw Jou about to reach the street corner. The light was going to turn.

"Mutt?" he called out.

Jounouchi stopped and looked around, curious.

"Eh? Kaiba?" he said back. "What are you doing here? Is there a problem?" He felt totally confused. Seto seemed angry and flushed. He could tell that something was wrong with him. Seto was heading in his direction with huge strides, face set.

"Are you okay?" Jou asked with a nasty edge_. I'm still pissed at you, by the way._

Seto approached Jou but wasn't looking at him. He was looking at everything around them. Street lights. Signs. Neon signs. High rooftops. Windows…a lot of windows… A few stragglers but nobody around them, near them. Jou noticed that Seto's hands were balled into fists. _Not good_, he thought and tried to follow Seto's traveling eyes.

"Okay, I'm officially freaked out now." Jou rested a hand on Seto's shoulder, getting his attention. "What is it?"

"I…I…," Seto said. _I can't tell him that someone was following him. He'll just think I'm paranoid. I'll think up something else._ He forced a deep frown on his face. "Hell, I don't know. I guess... it was a trick of the night or the lights or something. I'm not sure what it was," Seto replied in a tone that almost sounded like he was complaining.

"It happens," Jou shrugged.

"And…I also… came to say," Seto looked at Jou and then down at the sidewalk. He could still see, in the back of his mind, the shadow following Jounouchi. Dark, cold, unstoppable… "To say that…I'm sorry. Jounouchi, gomen na."

Jounouchi's jaw dropped. _I must be hearing things or I'm still half asleep,_ Jou thought. Seto was still staring at the ground with an annoyed look. Jou thought again, _Nope, he really said it. That's…kind of…great…_ He tried to be humble and forced back his smile.

"Come with me?" Seto continued, quietly.

"To your house?"

"To my house… To my _couch_… I can get us some coffee, and we can watch that hideous abomination of a zombie movie… that they're marketing as Japanese culture," Seto added the last part tartly.

"You really want to be with me, don't cha? That makes me…kinda…happy. And, I guess, how I feel about things means something to you, too. Thank you, Kaiba," Jou said quietly with a smile, leaning his head to one side, hoping to catch a glimpse of the blue eyes that had turned away from him.

There was a little pride in Jou's voice that deeply annoyed Seto.

"I followed you all the way here, didn't I?" Seto grumbled, eyes narrowing. "Plus, it's late and the streets get darker from here."

Jounouchi smiled, tilted his chin, and whispered into Seto's ear, "Fine with me." _So, Kaiba was a little worried about me after all. That feels…wonderful, too._ "Instead of the movie, how about we drink coffee and I'll tell you how Mokuba's day went today?"

Seto raised an eyebrow.

_Whoa, wait… I can't tell him about the kiss from Yuna-chan. I made a man to man promise with Mokuba. I gotta tell him something else._

"It was—actually—pretty good, but I don't want to steal his thunder," Jounouchi began while playing with a strand of blond hair that was tickling his nose.

They turned and made their way back to the mansion. Jou glanced at the profile of his companion in the dark. It was a relief to make up and have Seto by his side again. It felt like he had the other half of his soul back. He could be happy and sleep well tonight.

Seto felt himself smile the moment Jounouchi reached over, touched his hand, and stroked it softly. Then, Jou linked their pinkie fingers together. They walked on into the night, linked, fist against fist.

"Mokuba did really well on his math test today."

"Of course, he's my brother."

"Spoken like a true Kaiba, huh?" Jounouchi said, amused.

Seto looked over to Jou. The happy puppy prattled on about "nothing" and "everything" in the cool night air—nudging his companion playfully with his shoulder to emphasize his points. Seto regarded him for a second. For a total hot-head and loud-mouth, he really knew how to forgive without making the other person cringe inside. Forgiveness was something that Seto was not good at and never would be. He envied Jou a little for letting go like that.

"Oh? I see…" Seto heard himself murmur back, forcing his voice to be calm. He looked at Jounouchi's face when he said it. Jounouchi's eyes crinkled when he smiled. _That was nice._ Still listening, Seto nodded from time to time, and walked on—forcing himself to hide what he truly felt.

_I have to stay calm. I have to look into this. I know something is wrong…terribly wrong. I will protect Jounouchi…even if it means… Yes, even if it means… _

From somewhere behind them, Seto knew full well that the shadow was following.

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Someone stepped into the alley and disappeared from sight. A skinny delivery man in a brown uniform followed with a dolley-cart full of boxes for the coffee shop. He stared at the clipboard to make sure the address was right. It was. There were three huge, taped-up boxes of pre-printed, cheery yellow and black cups, to-go boxes, and napkins for the coffee shop. He yawned—boring job. He knocked on a rather dull, primer grey door and it opened automatically.

Over the intercom, a male voice said, "Just bring it in. The door closes by itself—just like taxi doors do."

"Yes, sir." _Great,_ the delivery man thought, _another Japanese gadget freak. _He looked around him_. I wonder… I wonder… What else here opens automatically?_

The delivery man blinked. He thought he saw something dark—a shadow maybe—move to his left. Nothing. To his right, he saw two high school guys in blue school uniforms eating ice cream as they passed by. Suddenly, the man felt something hit him hard from behind. The world spiraled into blackness. He felt his body collapsing onto the ground.

"So, Jounouchi," Honda began, putting one last, if not too large, bite of vanilla ice cream in his mouth. "I'd better be off," he mumbled, wiping a drop of wet ice cream off of his school jacket.

"Okay," Jou said, taking a bite of his new fav—coffee ice cream with chocolate covered almonds and marshmallows. "It was fun. Let's do this again sometime."

"Yup," he said back with a slight smile, starting to leave, "I gotta go home, finish my homework and… e-mail Shizuka."

Honda waited for it. It took about five seconds for it to register. "Hey, why haven't I heard anything before about you writing to her," Jounouchi said with a slight frown.

"Well," Honda grinned back, "the name 'Shizuka' does mean '_quiet_.' So, I'm sure she's _pretty_ _quiet_ about who she writes to, who she _dates_…." Honda left the rest to drift in the air, and Jou started frowning harder.

"Hey, she's my little sister!" Feeling sick now, he threw the rest of his cup of ice cream into the trashcan beside him.

"It's okay…it's okay," Honda said with mock sincerity. He placed one hand casually behind his head, trying to look slightly embarrassed.

Jou's hazel eyes were taking on a hard, green edge.

"I'm sorry," Honda said with a slight laugh. "I shouldn't have made you mad. She's a good girl, actually…"

With that, Jou's demeanor softened a little. _It's only an e-mail—or "e-mails" – after all. Just words._

"But, you know," Honda said, looking at him out of the corner of his eye with a sickening smile, "it is a little hypocritical of you. After all, you are _dating_…_doing_…" Honda tried to hide his note of disgust but didn't manage it. "Yes, you are," he leaned in close to Jou's ear, "sleeping with…Kaiba." Jounouchi's eyes shot open wide at the words. "So," Honda continued, "if you're doing the horizontal hula with him, you're not in any position---heh, heh, heh---to criticize me for just writing to your sister."

_Oh, hell… Honda thinks that I'm sleeping with Kaiba. Just because we're two guys, I guess… I mean, we haven't at all…ever… Holy crap! _

Honda watched Jounouchi's pinkish face with satisfaction. "I can see by your face that it's true," he said smugly. "I'm sure that the two of you do things every night that would make most people blush."

"Ummm… Honda?"

"Hey, don't get him pregnant. Ha! No, no…really…don't worry about it. Your secret is safe with me." Honda started to walk away. "Just don't give me the details, okay?" He laughed to himself. "After all, I wouldn't want a nosebleed on the way home." Honda started walking home.

Jou felt a flash of anger. "Hey, Honda?" Jou called back loudly with arms crossed defiantly, "The only way to get a _nosebleed_ is to get turned on by what you're hearing. So, who's the _hentai_?" He pointed an accusing finger at his friend.

Two girls from Jou's Japanese Classics class were walking by and heard what he said. Both stopped in their tracks and stared at Jou, mouths open. They whispered viciously behind their hands, motioned to Honda, and hurried on—pulling out their cell phones and dialing as they walked.

Honda, oblivious, waved cheerily without looking back and walked away, whistling.

Jounouchi watched the three disappear into the distance, wanting to rip his blond hair out in frustration. He turned on his heel grumpily and started marching toward Kaiba's mansion.

_Screw you, Honda! You are such trouble! Those girls are going to gossip about me now,_ he thought.

He trudged. This time, walking felt great. He could run off his anger that way. _This is a Friday. I'm supposed to be happy._ He trudged. _The world is full of idiots. This just sucks._ He trudged. _He's supposed to be my __friend__. Why does he make me feel worse and not better?_

After a few minutes, though, Jou had worked off his "mad." He calmed himself down and allowed his mind to wander a bit. His stride became more casual.

_Honda the idiot… Kaiba and I haven't really done anything along those lines, actually… If we're lucky, we can make out on the couch a little until Mokuba comes home. We haven't slept together. If we get ten minutes together, I'm grateful. If he's not taking care of Mokuba, he's tutoring me in Japanese Classics and writing on his laptop. There's no time to be romantic, no matter what Honda thinks. And, what am I supposed to do about that?_

Jou walked further down the sidewalk, not noticing anything in particular. He crammed his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

_I mean, Kaiba's been great to me compared to the way we were when we dueled. Just great… And, its true, I want to… with him… someday… But, isn't he supposed to make the first move? And, if so…?_ Jou passed the local porn shop and saw suggestive lingerie and posters on the walls inside. And the neon lights in the big picture window saying "open" made him feel annoyed. He walked on. Then, he stopped and looked back for a second. _Maybe, I'm the one who is supposed to come on to him… But, he's so busy with work---which is all he thinks about—and getting ready for the Christmas sales season. The way things are now…_

Jounouchi crossed the street against the light and a car came to a screeching halt. The driver leaned his head out the window and shouted something, but Jou didn't hear him.

_I was satisfied with the way things were until Honda said something. But, maybe, Kaiba's not happy?_ Jou imagined it in his head—a comic version of the two of them together. He'd kiss Kaiba lustfully over the laptop and say something like, "Yes! Yes! Tell me about your…market trends!" Jounouchi snickered at the thought. "More, more… Is your stock rising?" He laughed harder. Jounouchi got to the gates of Kaiba's mansion and the silly image faded with his smile.

_It's still a problem, isn't it? We're a couple—a couple of guys. And everyone apparently thinks…expects…just because we're guys. Maybe I'm supposed to seduce him, but it just isn't like me to do that crazy, S&M rough kind of stuff. Am I not tough enough? Do I make him lonely? Hmmm… Maybe I should talk to Kaiba about it…maybe…maybe not…_

Jou felt an embarrassed blush on his face as he pushed the buzzer at the gate. "It's me," he said quietly. The gates opened.

"Coffee?" Seto asked, looking at Jou with eyes glazed over.

The blond shook his head "no."

"This day sucked." Fatigue setting in now that he was home, Seto took a cup from one of the kitchen cabinets and went over to the coffee pot. "You were going to tell me something…I think…," Seto said vaguely. He poured himself a cup. "Don't tell me that you forgot to do your homework in Japanese Classics again. All you have to do is translate the old Japanese into modern Japanese with a kanji dictionary and some common sense. It's not that hard, really." He stretched his arms. "It's been a long day at Kaiba Corp and, for some reason, the execs decided to have a Friday afternoon meeting over—get this—the best time to have an executive staff meeting next week. Nobody was paying attention. The instant coffee was more interesting than the agenda. What idiots..." Seto easily ignored the dinner that the cook set aside for him to eat in the silver platter.

_Real coffee. Two or three more cups should do it._

Jounouchi watched him for a second. _Maybe Honda's teasing today had some truth in it. And maybe it's time that I show Kaiba that I care about him. I've told him how I feel one hundred times. So, now, I'm going to __prove it.__ But…But, if he rejects me… No, I can do this if it makes him happy. I'll go through with it._

Seto held the cup tiredly in his hands. Then, he noticed something. Jounouchi was quietly approaching and giving him a serious, almost regretful, stare.

_This_ _is really not in my nature, but…_

He grabbed Seto by the wrist and pulled him toward him roughly. Then, both bodies slammed back. Seto, eyes wide, found himself suddenly pinned against the kitchen counter, his coffee had sloshed out of his right hand and the cup was on its side with a river of brown liquid flowing from it all over the counter away from him.

"Jou?"

Jounouchi leaned in. _I know this is something that he'd probably like. I saw him with Namiko in the hallway that time._

Hazel eyes grew hard. "I want you." Seto's lower back was against the edge of the granite counter with Jounouchi pressing his body directly against him. Jou still had his wrist, went for the other, and pulled them up tightly and shoving both wrists against the cabinets on the wall. Jou's heart was beating hard, but he quickly noticed that no part of himself was enjoying any of it. He kissed Seto roughly and wondered if bruising his mouth was something else that Seto would, for some reason, enjoy. Jounouchi ground his body into him.

After the second rough kiss, a surprised Seto turned his face away and eyed Jou with a look of "fire and ice." Jounouchi felt a glimmer of a smile. It worked. The look was passion. But, then, a part of him saw anger mixed into it, too. Seto's face was hardening into an expression that was cruel and far worse than any that he'd ever used when dueling. In the back of his mind, Jounouchi almost felt afraid. What had he done to him?

"Is this what you think of me?" Seto snarled, his face twisting in anger. "At your _mercy_…in this undignified position…in this… place?" His tone echoed the revulsion on his face. Chestnut hair fell into his eyes, casting them in shadow. "And just how were you planning on getting my clothes off, _idiot_? I'm wearing a business suit and you've got both wrists. You'd have to let me go, fight against me, or have me submit to you and do as you want." Jou could almost feel a battle aura now. "And I'll never submit." His teeth were clenched when he said it.

Jounouchi stopped and thought about it, eyes widening. Seto's sport coat was flung back and open with the silk lining showing. His arms were pinned over his head with fingernails digging into his wrists and his back painfully twisted, half pushed against the counter from Jou grinding his pelvis into him.

"Rough, huh?" Seto said, blue-eyed dragon taking up the challenge. "I didn't know you were like that."

_I-I'm not, actually…_

Jounouchi's face went blank and Seto saw it.

Jounouchi blinked. In that instant, Seto caught Jou off guard, twisted and moved swiftly to one side.

"That's fine with me."

Jounouchi's heart almost stopped. _What is he…?_

Before the blond knew it, they had switched places. Now, Jou was trapped between Seto and the counter.

There was a deep, vicious laugh in Jou's ear. "_Bonkotsu_ , this is how you do it," he said dangerously, leaning in and tracing the delicate curve of Jou's ear with his tongue. There was something predatory in his face and some part of him was clearly enjoying it. Quickly, Seto pulled the blond against his body with one strong hand on his back and the other with a hand tightly around Jou's wrist. Seto pulled the wrist up and over Jounouchi's head, slamming it hard into the cabinet. The china rattled inside. Jounouchi cringed. With force, Seto pushed hard. Both of their bodies slammed into the counter. Jou's back hit the granite and he groaned. Uncomfortable, he tried to shift one leg, but realized that he couldn't move. Seto had him pinned down. Jounouchi could feel his own heart hammering in his chest.

"Do you like this?" Seto asked with a growl. There was no kindness in his voice or his eyes.

Jounouchi didn't answer. He closed his eyes tightly. _I can go through with this. I know I can._ He leaned forward and tried to kiss Seto instead.

"Slut," Seto growled at him. He tossed his head back and away from the kiss. Their lips never met. Moving the hand on Jou's back, Seto grabbed a fist full of blond hair and yanked it all the way to the side—turning his attention to Jou's neck. He leaned in and took small, vicious little nips all the way down. He could feel Jounouchi's body react to the pain and hear Jou take in small gasps. The bites got harder and sharper as he worked down—pinching skin with his teeth and leaving marks. Jounouchi blinked back tears. He was miserable and suppressed a convulsive tremble. Seto tightened his grip around the wrist and found himself surprised that Jou never struggled or fought back.

"Do you like that?" Seto hissed in his ear, demanding an answer.

Jounouchi, tears in his eyes, wanted to put a hand to his aching neck. It throbbed terribly. His back hurt, too. He was sick at heart and hiding it badly.

"If it's you, then…" His voice was hollow.

"You'll endure anything?" Seto finished for him.

"Yes," Jounouchi said quietly, "because I…lov-"

"DON'T SAY IT," Seto ordered, fury building "because you don't know what you're talking about!"

Jounouchi felt defeated. This was not what he wanted deep down and not the way he thought his romantic scene would end up. They were supposed to kiss passionately and melt into each other or something like that. End up in the bedroom somehow… But, none of this felt right from the start. It felt stupid. He was sad inside and wanted to leave. Maybe, if he was really lucky, he'd get a stern lecture from Seto about what he did wrong, and he'd remember it for next time. Maybe… Or, maybe, Seto would be through with him for this little stunt. He knew he'd hate himself for a long time if that happened. If he'd destroyed Seto's trust...on a whim to prove himself a good lover...

_He has problems with trust. I should have thought about that. Hell… Come to think of it, I'd be really scared if anyone suddenly came on to me like that. But, Kaiba's not scared…he's mad as hell…_

Seto watched the embarrassed blush on Jou's face and felt the blond's body slacken. He wouldn't look him in the eye, either. He was hangdog with eyes hidden in shadow. Seto let go of his wrist

_I went too far, I think_, Seto sighed inwardly. _And, not all of this is his fault. He's seen me with Namiko—who enjoyed this kind of roughness way too much. I was just following her lead back then, too._

"I'm sorry," Jounouchi said quietly, moving away from Seto, his tone sad. He took a shaky breath and continued, "You're right. I don't know anything. I came on to you. And, up 'till now, you've been the perfect gentleman this whole time. I'm the idiot here…" He rubbed his wrist absentmindedly as he spoke. The side of his neck almost burned from the bites, but he was determined not to acknowledge it. Jounouchi picked up a kitchen towel off the counter and started cleaning the coffee. "My fault this stuff spilled…" He put the cup and the wet kitchen towel in the sink.

_I'll clean this up, and I'll leave_, he thought.

With his back to Seto, he said quietly, "I guess… I just need to know what…you…ummm… prefer…"

"Well, it's certainly not this," Seto said sarcastically, forcing himself to lean casually against the counter this time. His back ached from being slammed into it so suddenly—muscles tightening up. But he didn't want to show it. On the inside, he was a lot angrier than he was willing to admit. _This whole thing was stupid! Can't you see that?_

Jounouchi shrugged, rinsing out the cup now. His back was still to Seto.

_What? Aren't you going to say anything? You always over explain everything and say too much._

Nothing.

Boiling, Seto crossed his arms angrily because he knew that if he didn't, he'd be beating the counter in frustration. He was mad at himself, mad at Jou, mad at the situation…work had been hard, and he was too tired for this kind of crap. And, yes, in the past, being rough could be fun, but not with someone he deeply cared about.

The cup was rinsed out. Jou turned off the faucet.

_But, I have to fix this somehow because he'll look for a reason to disappear if I don't_, Seto thought, rolling his eyes to the heavens. _But he started it. Why do I have to be the one to make it okay again? Why me?_

Seto suddenly imagined his life as it was before Jounouchi. Did he really want that? He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Come here…please?" Seto asked quietly. He reached out a hand.

He heard a sigh. "Sure, Kaiba, because you said 'please'." Jounouchi moved in shyly. He was still embarrassed but took Seto's hand in his anyway.

Although he would never have admitted it openly, guilt was creeping in. Seto moved his hand toward Jou's neck and the blond backed away from the touch.

"It's a little sore there."

The welts were red and starting to swell

_He won't let me touch him there. I can't really blame him, either. I will __never__ do that again_, Seto promised himself. _But, at the time, I was just proving a point…_

Seto put one hand on Jounouchi's right shoulder, caressed it, and whispered into his left ear—their bodies almost touching again.

"When I look at you, I don't want to be rough," he said to the blond quietly. He took a strand of blond hair and stroked it all the way down. It was soft and Jounouchi's face smiled a little. "When I imagine you with me, it's never like that." Seto pressed the side of his cheek against Jou's. "I want you next to me…" He could feel Jounouchi's arms circling around his waist. Seto smiled to himself. "But I prefer gentle and slow," Seto said, closing the gap between them and finding Jou's lips. The curves of their lips brushed against each other. "Do you understand me now?" he whispered against Jou. When Jounouchi said "yes," Seto kissed him with an agonizing slowness which left Jou clinging to him.

Seto pulled Jounouchi tightly into his arms and hugged him. "Sometimes, you are such a bad puppy," Seto joked almost to himself. He could feel Jou chuckle against him, hugging back.

Seto rested his head against Jounouchi's shoulder, the feeling thrilled him. Usually, Jounouchi was the one leaning on Seto.

"Can I tell you something?" Seto asked quietly.

"Anything."

"I've learned that 'sex is sex' and 'love is love.' The two are not the same. And one does not prove the existence of the other."

_He's right_, Jounouchi nodded to himself, _I just never saw it that way before_. But, then Jou thought about it for a second. "So, you've been in love?" Jounouchi leaned away and watched Seto's face. Seto blinked back, thinking. He shrugged. "Once or twice, I thought maybe…but it didn't turn out well. The rest of them were 'encounters,' that's all."

Long before now, Jounouchi had noticed that Seto referred to all of his previous sexual experiences as 'encounters.' There was never any mention of "boyfriend," "girlfriend," "lover," or "partner." It was just "encounter." That was how he saw it.

"I remember this one person looking up at me with tears and telling me that my heart was cold and hard. Nothing and no one could melt it." Seto's voice was quiet. "Why do I remember these things?" He looked away for a second, feeling uncomfortable. "But I do know what love is," Seto continued, "and I know what it feels like."

"You…do?" Jounouchi said, trying to hide a thread of jealousy that was coming from somewhere. _There was someone who taught him 'love' before me. I really hate that. Can I even compete with that? _Even with Seto holding him, Jou suddenly felt lonely.

"I was being honest. I thought you'd be happy about that," Seto noted, seeing Jounouchi's face frowning_. I was talking about you. Why aren't you happy? You are so strange sometimes…_ Then, he thought about it. "I suppose, you have a point, though. You're the one who is always telling me how you feel, and I never… really say… "suki" back to you, do I?" He sighed at himself. "That's a fair criticism."

_Actually, that wasn't what I was thinking at all. But, we can run with this_. Jounouchi rested his arms on Seto's shoulders, eyeing him expectantly_. I dunno… He'll say it? He loves me? Really?_ Nodding slightly, Seto moved his arms around Jou's waist. Seto looked down into hazel eyes. An awkward silence followed. Seto rested his forehead against Jou's, eyes shut tight.

_This is too much for him_, Jounouchi thought_. I can't stand it. This is just too painful to watch, too._

Seto hesitated and then opened his mouth to say the words.

"Suki," Jou kissed him.

"Da," Another kiss.

"Yo." Another kiss.

Seto was surprised. _But, why? I thought __you__ wanted __me__ to say it. I was going to. You're being strange again. _Jou repeated the words, a little more playfully this time, with another kiss between each.

_It's okay,_ Jou thought. _You'll tell me what I already know when the time is right._

Seto raised an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly. He noticed the happy grin on his blond puppy's face now.

_You have a nice smile_, Seto thought, eyeing him. _Wait… How did we get to this point? I think we made up somehow…again… _

Jou watched with a little curiosity as Seto's face went from confused to contented. Ice blue eyes looked down into hazel. "Hmmm… I didn't quite get that. 'Suki'-what? Can you say it again? I'm not good at the language of love," Seto said with a smirk.

_So, I'm your sensei now, huh?_ Jounouchi's eyes shining. _Oh, I'm going to have __fun__ with this._

"Of course," Jou said wickedly, now his face nuzzled against Seto's shoulder. "I'll tell you the words. And, you know, I'm teaching a cram school on the couch afterwards so that you can get the meaning down and remember it." He held back a snicker. "There's no text book. It's all lecture and _hands-on_ learning."

"I'll study hard," Seto said back with mock seriousness and Jou laughing now. "I'll keep it up."

Jou burst into a fit and was laughing so hard that Seto had to hold him.

"Is there a lab with that class?" A burst of laughter, Jou fighting for air now.

"But, what if I fail the final?" Seto asked with a smile in his voice. Jou was doubled over and practically crying.

"Remedials!" Jou choked out the word, laughing and holding his sides. "It's hard… work… but you'll get it…eventually. I believe in you."

"You'll have to keep cheering me on, or is it 'on me'?" Seto joked.

"I will. Free tutoring!" Jounouchi gasped with a cherry red face and breathing hard. He fell into Seto's arms, wrapped himself around him, and felt safe—no it was more than that. It felt good, really good. At that moment, for Jou and Seto, laughing and holding each other up meant more to them than sex ever could.

On the other side of the kitchen door, Jou could hear someone coming into the mansion. He was wiping the tears in his eyes with the back of his hand when he moved his arm and knocked over one of the canisters. Flour spilled all over the counter.

"Silly puppy," Seto said, his voice calming down to a slight chuckle. He tightened his grip around Jou's waist.

"Oh? I'm a silly puppy, huh?" Jounouchi said and took a pinch of flour. He flicked it at Seto playfully. A white spot landed on the other's nose. Jounouchi burst into another fit of laughter as Seto rubbed it away—leaving a white, powdery stripe.

"You think you're going to get away with it, don't you?" Seto said, smirking.

Jou shook his head "yes."

Seto took a fist-full of flour and rubbed it into Jou's shirt. Bits clumped against Jou and Seto brushed the left over white powder on his hand onto Jou's chin. "You need a shave, Jou. But, lucky for you, I like stubble." The voice was low and rich.

"Hey! That's a lot more than I did to you!" He scooped some off his shirt.

"And that's your complaint? I gave you more than what you bargained for?"

"No, this is more than you bargained for," Jou said impishly. He took the fist of flour, with Seto grabbing his arm to stop him, and shouted, "Eat this, Kaiba!" But, instead of pushing the flour into Seto's face, as he intended, the other misdirected his aim and the flour went "smack" on the side of Seto's head.

"Are you going grey?" Jounouchi laughed out loud.

"Oh, you're going to pay for that one!" Kaiba grabbed Jou, pushed him against the counter, with his body looming over, and rubbed some flour all over Jounouchi's left cheek.

"I love pale skin," Seto joked and rubbed.

Jounouchi grabbed more flour from the counter.

Shouting and laughing, Jou pulled back the waistband and forced down a fist of flour into the front of Seto's trousers in revenge.

"Oh, this is just so wrong. In so many ways," came a voice by the kitchen door. Mokuba was standing there with his ear to his cell phone, watching his brother rub flour over Jou's face with Jounouchi putting more of it down the front of Nii-sama's pants.

_It's not like I've never caught Nii-sama before, but…this???_

"Hey, Yuna? Yes…Excuse me for a second," the raven-haired little brother said into the cell phone, skipping to the refrigerator, taking out a cola, and tip-toeing away. "What do you mean your tarot cards say that there's nothing going on the kitchen? I don't care what the 'Phoenix Three card means… Those cards are _wrong_. Yuna-chan, I can hear you laughing. No, I'm not telling you what Nii-sama is up to. You're laughing again! I'm telling you…I don't know and don't wanna know."

Taking the phone away from his face and cutting his eyes back, Mokuba muttered, "Could you guys do that in your bedroom next time? Thanks!"

He left with the door swinging behind.

"Oh, hell!" Jounouchi said, "I feel like an idiot." Both cheeks were bright red. "How am I going to face him tomorrow?" his eyes on the closed kitchen door.

"_You_ _feel_ like an idiot?" Seto answered sarcastically, cutting his eyes south of the belt buckle. "Your hand, by the way, is still in my pants…covered in flour."

Jou smiled nervously with big teeth. Very gently, he removed his hand, leaving white fingerprints on the waistband.

"Oh…um… Sorry about that."

"You're _not sorry_," Seto whispered deliciously in his ear.

"True. Does it…ya know… tickle?" Jou asked sheepishly.

"Do you want to find out?" the man with blue eyes asked with a fist of white flour flaking out of one hand. He was closing in for a kiss, too.

"If I said 'yes,' what would you say?"

Jou snickered before Seto's lips found him. The kiss started softly—neither one wanting to move. Then, Seto gently nipped at Jou's lower lip, encouraging him. The kiss deepened. Jounouchi began to possess it in small bursts of kissing—coaxing Seto to keep up with him. He could taste the flour on Seto's mouth, too. Jounouchi put his hands at Seto's waist and slowly eased their bodies together, pushing his hands up leaving trails of flour on Seto's back. Seto's hands were on Jounouchi's shoulders, leaving a powder trail, and his arms enclosing him into an embrace. Seto sighed into Jou's mouth making Jou hold him tighter. Chestnut hair with white patches of flour stroked Jou's face when Seto leaned in for another, slightly deeper kiss. Tiny white flakes fell onto Jou's flour-patched face, too. Yes, Jou had gotten the worst of the flour fight. Seto smiled inwardly at that.

Something banged hard on the kitchen window.

"Wha-tha-hell?" Seto mumbled with a mouthful of Jounouchi.

Their lips were still locked together.

"Stupid-bird-or-somethin'," Jou mumbled, refusing to let go of Seto's lips. He had worked too hard to get him in this position and the kiss felt great.

A shadow moved.

Seto broke the kiss. "But it's night. And birds roost at night." He let go of Jou, and walked cautiously to the window, dusting himself off as he walked. His suspicious eyes couldn't penetrate the night and the glare of the kitchen lights didn't help much, either.

"I'm going to go check the security cameras," he said, ruffling his hair distractedly with one hand to shake the flour out.

"I'll go with you," Jounouchi said, hearing the strange edge in Seto's voice. Following Seto's example, he tried to rub the rest of the flour off his face with the back of his hand.

"Don't bother," Seto said evenly, giving him a velvet kiss on the cheek as he passed by. On the flour-dusted face, Seto's kiss left a clean spot. "It's probably nothing. Help yourself to something in the refrigerator."

Kaiba approached the kitchen door.

"Ummm…Kaiba?"

"What?" Seto said, half turning.

"I know it's nothing, but...you're not alone anymore. At some point, you're going to have to…I dunno…stop treating me… like a _guest_ and more _like_…

_Go ahead, Jounouchi. Let's hear you say the word_, Seto thought.

well…ummm…." His eyes to the floor.

_I knew you couldn't. I suppose there are things that we're both not ready for._

Seto smirked. "Yes, I agree. 'Like,' 'well,' and 'ummm' describe us perfectly."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

A frown deepening with each step, Seto navigated his way through the Kaiba Mansion to a door opening to a narrow flight of stairs at the southeast end of the house. He followed the stairs down into one of the lowers levels. Originally, this level had been used for storage by his adoptive father. At least, that was the official story anyway. But, last year, Seto decided to remodel and use it for another purpose entirely.

He picked up the pace, telling himself that he would, eventually, put in an elevator here.

_Gozaburo was a fool for not doing that in the first place._

Seto's cell phone began to chime in small, four note bursts. From the ringtone, he knew exactly who it was.

"Speak to me."

"Sir, this is Kageyama Kiyoko," a stern female voice said at the other end of the line. "Our cameras have picked up something…unexpected…on your property. We'll share the video feed with you, if you like."

Seto opened the door to a surprisingly large room filled with plasma television monitors affixed to the wall--showing external shots of all parts of the grounds of the Kaiba Mansion as well as all of the major property holdings of Kaiba Corp.

"I'm sending the video to you now," Kageyama said.

Thanks to a dim light in the background, a blurry, dark image of an individual could be seen running on the grounds and into the bushes by the kitchen. It was a single human shape but heavily dressed in black—with it being impossible to see if the figure was male or female. Kageyama had set the video file on "repeat" and the clip played over and over again.

"Here it is in night vision, sir."

A green, almost reversed image of the scene followed. Again, the figure ran for the bushes by the kitchen window.

"And two minutes and nine seconds later, we get this…" she said.

The night vision image showed the person running for the back gate.

"Sir, do you want me to come over right now?"

"No."

It was blunt and to the point.

"I see... Sir, I think we need to improve the lighting on the entire southern side of the house. We can also set up additional motion detectors and security devices to identify the presence of intruders."

"Agreed," Seto said quietly.

"We can start the work within thirty minutes," she continued in a very business-like fashion. But, Seto could also hear a thread of excitement in her voice. She was able to use some of her expertise to impress the great "Kaiba Seto"-- her boss' boss. And a part of Seto would have enjoyed that power play at work the next day due to her boldness and total disregard of the chain of command. But, he had his little brother and Jou to think about. They'd start asking questions and would probably feel unsafe tonight.

"No, I think that's a little extreme," Seto said and heard an awkward pause at the other end.

"Do you want us to call the police?" she asked, concern starting to build.

"Not necessary." _And word could get out pretty easily. Security-wise, I'd be in the same situation as before but with the addition of the newspapers and local television sticking their noses in._

"Sir, please forgive me. And, you're most certainly right that this person has run off… However, at the very least, we could send over some of our 'people' (of course, Seto knew that she was referring to the men in black suits with sunglasses) to stand guard until we can arrive tomorrow to do the work and put in extra security measures."

"Not necessary," he repeated.

"Yes…sir," she said, puzzled. "I'd like permission to work through the night tonight and watch the cameras. And, sir, I can give you my personal cell number if you …suddenly …need me. I know you have my number here at work."

The worry slowly drained out of Seto as he talked to her. Kageyama was a tall Japanese woman in her 50's, smart, and quite ruthless at times. She was a veteran of the Japanese Army, too. That's why he hired her. But, he noticed, that some part of her had a soft spot for him and had, at times, a feeling that bordered on tough-love which meant that she could be pushy when concerned. It was probably because of their age difference. He often wondered if he reminded her of a son or former army comrade that she lost long ago. Either way, her loyalty was unquestionable, and he found that stroked his ego more than a little.

"Yes and no," he replied.

"Sir?"

"Yes, I can rely on you to watch my house tonight. But, 'no' as to the phone number… What I mean is… You are talking to me on your cell phone right now, are you not?"

"Oh…yes…sir…"

"Actually, I still have your personal number stored in my phone from when you called me last week about the cat that got caught up in the Kaiba Corp-Australia's research lab and set off all of the motion detectors."

"Yes, sir," her voice now had that "oh, what an idiot I am" tone.

"Then, I will go back to what I was doing. Thank you for your concern, and I will meet you in my office tomorrow morning at seven."

Seto had finished his phone call on the way to the living room. He passed Mokuba in one of the halls and was rattled a bit when his raven haired brother looked him up and down and gave a "thumbs up" sign.

"You look happier," Mokuba said with a wink as he walked on.

"Go to bed," Seto said smoothly, not missing a beat.

"I've got thirty minutes." His chuckles echoed down the hall.

"I can always change your bed time," Seto called back over his shoulder.

"Good night, Nii-sama! Tell Jou 'goodnight' for me, too. I guess I'll _see you both_ in the morning. I'll just follow the trail of flour to find you two." He laughed again.

Seto looked down and saw that there were, indeed, floured footprints up and down the hall. The maids were going to be suspicious of that tomorrow. Then, he reflected back on what his brother had said.

_Both of us… Yes, I'd prefer it that way,_ Seto thought grimly.

By the time Seto got back into the kitchen, Jou had already cleaned the place up. He also washed his own face and hands. Jou's jacket was still full of flour, but curled up into a ball on the kitchen counter. Everything looked better.

Jou smirked openly when he saw Seto and tried to take a kitchen towel to a white spot on his face.

"I think you've got…on your face…"

Seto glared and backed away, annoyed. _Eh? What? I'm too busy for this_, he thought. Then, his eyes caught onto something. When Jounouchi sighed openly in response and tilted his head to one side, Seto could see that his neck was flame red and starting to bruise from his bites.

"Fine, you give me no choice," Jou said playfully, reaching in and taking the flour spot off with a small lick.

"Enough," Seto mumbled, distracted. He tried not to look at the marks on Jou's neck anymore, either. _I can't believe I saw that shadow again. Hell… _His thoughts continued to plague him and, now, his face had a coldness that made Jou uncomfortable. Jounouchi's mouth turned down. "So, there was a problem? Did something or somebody show up on the security cameras?"

Seto looked Jou in the eye…and lied a little, "All I could see were blurry shapes. But I'm getting more security tomorrow for this side of the house. So, it will all be done tomorrow."

"Good," Jou said as a sigh, feeling better. "For Mokuba's sake, and yours, I'm relieved."

Seto widened his eyes at this. _You live in the worst part of town, and you're worried about me? That feels wrong somehow._

"Good," Jou repeated himself. "So, it will all work out."

Seto turned his head to one side, curious. Then, his eyes narrowed. Some part of him felt suspicious because the blond seemed agreeable—almost too agreeable. There was something artificial or ingenuine about the whole scene, too. _He's holding back or pulling away… I can't tell which._

Jounouchi stretched a little. "Well, on another subject entirely, I'm going to give my jacket a good shake outside on my way back to the house." Jounouchi gathered up his jacket, turned around, and found Seto in his path.

"Do you have to go?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"Must I repeat myself?"

"Well, it's a little late…and…well… I need a bath…all the flour, you know… and I've got work tomorrow after school." Each word was said a little more slowly than the one before it.

"And…?" Seto said cautiously.

Then, Jou looked down a bit in embarrassment. His face flushed. "And I'm still really sorry about 'coming on' to you tonight. Deep down, I would never want to hurt you—ever." Jou could feel his heart beat hard at the confession. "I felt kind of sick inside, actually." He looked down again.

Seto glared at him, arms folded. "I thought we made up."

"Yeah, we did…but…I still feel bad about it." Jounouchi was at his most handsome when he was sincere. He straightened his shoulders back and looked up into blue eyes. "It's just that…you're my favorite person."

Jounouchi dropping the casual street slang and switching to a very humble form of Japanese really bothered Seto. They never spoke to each other like that. Then, once again, his eyes caught the huge, red welts on Jou's neck that he'd left—because he wanted to teach Jou a lesson he'd never forget. Seto cringed inside.

"Speaking of feeling bad…would you like some ice for your neck?"

For the first time, Jou pressed his hand against it. It felt warm.

_Look at me…I'm being overly emotion and stupid—weak. I don't even sound like myself when I speak. Hell, I've got to get a better grip on things. I wanna go back to the house now before I make a total ass out of myself. _

Blond, shaggy hair shook "no.""Nah, I'll live." Jounouchi said it with a thin smile that he wasn't really feeling. "So, I'll see ya tomorrow."

He put his jacket back on the counter for a second, leaned in, and gave a hug that felt more like clinking to Seto—fingers caught in the material of his shirt. He could feel Jou breathe against him.

"I see…Well, I was hoping to watch some television with you, but if you'd rather…_leave now_…" Seto said, shrugging. Then, he wrapped Jou in his arms.

Reluctantly, Jounouchi let go. He thought about it. "For a few minutes, I guess… Okay," Jou said and Kaiba smiled to himself inwardly because he won. There was no way he was going to let Jou leave the house tonight.

"Forget how to smile, Puppy?" Seto asked, taking the blond's hand and leading him to the couch.

"No," came the voice from behind quietly. "Are you going to give me something to smile about?"

In front of the TV, Seto sat next to Jou in his usual, arrogant way. Jou smirked at him a little. "Do you know, you always sit like you are an emperor or something? No, wait… Like a high priest." He smiled and, this time, it was real.

"Well," Seto said craftily, "if I'm a high priest, then you have to do what I say."

"Oh really?" the blond laughed, intrigued. "You're being sneaky again, Kaiba. I can tell."

"Most definitely."

"Then, what should I do, oh High Priest Kaiba Seto-dono?" He held back a snicker. He did a quick, phony kow-tow.

"Fine, then," Kaiba thought about it. "The high priest says that Jounouchi, the lowly slave, must hold him."

Jou raised both eyebrows playfully in mock shock and then grinned toothily. "You know, a lowly slave can't touch a priest. No can do…" He shook his shaggy, blond hair.

Seto narrowed his eyes. "Fine, then… Jounouchi, _Administrator to the High Priest_, must hold him because they are having an affair. Now, you'd have enough status to do that one, right?" An arrogant smirk followed.

"Me? An administrator?" Jounouchi mumbled. "Awhile ago… I guess… I was the administrator of flour." He chuckled at the thought.

Seto wiggled an eyebrow at him. Jou laughed and hugged Seto. Unlike the previous hug, this embrace felt right to Seto. It felt like the typical "puppy hugs" —warm and kind.

"Head on shoulder," he said.

Jounouchi put his head on Seto's shoulder and blond hair brushed against his face. It was a gentle touch that tickled a little with a powdery, flour smell. Blue eyes closed; Seto enjoyed the soft feeling.

"Hold my hand."

Jounouchi leaned in and stared at his boyfriend suspiciously. Seto eyed him back the same way. Both smirked and laced their fingers together. They faced the TV screen.

The television flicked on and the sound followed. Even though he tried to block it out, the shadow on the security camera still haunted Seto. He'd seen it again. Only, this time, Kageyama had seen it, too. So, there was no mistake. Someone was definitely on the grounds. _If I'm lucky, it's just a nosey reporter from a rag magazine. If I'm unlucky…? I need to know more before I say something to Jou and Mokuba._

"Jou?"

"Hmmm?"

"Can we just stay like this for awhile?" Seto asked quietly.

"Yeah," Jou said, and smiled inwardly. The silly little things in life that gave his other half comfort still amazed him. And he'd do it gladly.

Within ten minutes, Jounouchi was snoozing softly on Seto. Blue eyes cut in the direction of the sounds.

"I knew it," he murmured, proud of himself.

Seto kissed Jounouchi's lips with a light touch and a gentleness that no one could ever have guessed that he had within him. He always enjoyed kissing Jou when he was sleeping—maybe, it was Jou's true self that Seto loved most—not that he'd admit it openly, though. There were a lot of things he wasn't ready to talk about.

Seto leaned Jou back a little.

"You are such a heavy sleeper."

He stood up, flicked off the lights, and came back again. He set the alarm on this cell phone, stretched out both of their bodies on the couch, and put the throw-blanket across them both. He no longer cared if Mokuba caught them snoozing together fully dressed or the deeply wrinkled clothes they'd have on tomorrow. They were together—a couple. Tonight, at least, he'd know where Jou would be. If only for a few hours, he'd sleep well.

After a piggy little snore, Jounouchi woke up a little bit, and then his head popped up. Eyes like saucers.

_Oh, crap! Oh, crap! Oh, crap! Not again! He's gonna kill me. And, after we just made up, too… No-o-o…_

Jou cried inside a little. He didn't want to go through this again.

_Face the music… That's all I can do now… _He wanted to beat his head in frustration against Kaiba. Sadly, over the last few weeks, this was not a new desire.

"Ummm…Kaiba?" there was a panicked edge in his voice. He tapped on the shoulder that he had been slightly drooling on. "Kaiba? It's dark in here and it's late, I think. I'm gonna leave now." Jou's eyes were wide, scanning the blackness.

Seto opened one sleepy eye. He chuckled softly in the dark and circled his arms around Jounouchi. "You'll have to forgive me. I'm keeping you in my arms tonight. You're too warm and too comfortable to let go."

"B-But, _last time_…" Jou muttered, totally confused.

"That was last time," Seto said, smiling to himself.

Jou put a hand against Seto's face, "Will I ever understand you?" He could hear another soft chuckle in return.

In the dark, a wide, male hand gently guided Jou's head down. It began to stroke his blond hair. Each touch of the hand felt good—a comfort. Jou took a shaky breath, settled down, and went back to sleep against a strong shoulder.

"By the time you do, Jounouchi, it will be far, far too late."

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note**: The first draft of this chapter was posted as "Gomen Na." I wanted to post it to see what everyone thought. On the whole, the responses were fairly good. I only got a few of the usual complaints via e-mail. Thanks for the feedback and honesty.

* * *

Chapter 7 

Sleeping on the couch last night with Jounouchi felt good to Kaiba—a little too good, actually. It was hard to fall asleep at first with the weight of the blond against him and the gentle smell of flour and sandalwood skin. The subtle shifts in his weight and snuggling added to the problem, too. And Seto had been thinking about what he wanted for awhile now. In fact, once he really thought about it, this was the longest that he'd ever been with anybody without actually being "with" the person. But he also had to admit to himself that he contributed, too. Things had been busy at work, school, and other issues had come to light—the shadow incidents had nagged at his mind--making him uneasy at best and feeling unromantic at worst. But, today, it seemed, his life had actually quieted down somewhat. So, tonight, he was hoping to nudge Jounouchi in the direction that he was thinking of. Maybe, they would…tonight. Deep down, he was really hoping that Jounouchi would try again to make the first move—slowly and gently this time. For some reason, he just felt better about it being that way.

To be honest with himself, this seemed the perfect time. Mokuba was going to be gone overnight on a class trip. And Seto had managed to delay all decisions at work—no working late. It all seemed good.

The doorbell chimed. Slightly curious, Seto walked to the front door and opened it. It was Jounouchi.

"Did you forget your key?" Seto asked, looking slightly confused.

"Nope. I've got it," he said, smiling back shyly. "But, this is still your house."

Jounouchi stepped in with a bright red blush on his cheeks. "You know, I'm really tired tonight," he said walking wearily into the house, his jacket slung over his shoulder. Seto took one look at him and sighed openly.

"What?" Jou asked, with an annoyed edge.

"I think you're sick," Seto grumbled back.

"Nah, I'm okay. And, besides, I won't stay long. I know you're probably busy. I just wanted to check in with ya— You know, see how you were doing." He gave Seto a thin smile with a hand in his pocket. His skin looked slightly pasty and dark circles were forming under his eyes.

"Mokuba?" Seto called behind him.

Mokuba appeared in a flash from the living room. "Nii-sama?"

"I need that ear thermometer 'thing' you bought and the aspirin."

"Yeah," the child said, "Jounouchi-nii looks kind of sick. I guess that ruins your plans for tonight, huh?"

"Tonight?" Jou said, feeling awkward. "Did I forget a birthday or holiday or something?" He started to fret a bit. Jou was great at remembering important dates, prided himself on it.

"It was just dinner. I wouldn't worry about it."

"Just dinner?" Jou echoed. He walked past Seto to the dining room. There was a glittering table set with food in sterling silver platters. The smell, which would ordinarily make him drool, made him clutch his stomach. Seto saw and sighed again.

Guilt was creeping up on Jounouchi. He'd been thinking all about getting off of work, and seeing Seto, and not about much else—like how he was feeling. The fever really came out of nowhere. He dropped his jacket on a dining room chair.

"I'm sorry," Jou said, looking back.

Seto's face softened a little. "It's a good thing you are a mutt and not a cat," he joked quietly and placed a cool hand against Jou's face. "Cats can't have aspirin." He placed his left hand against Jou's other cheek.

"Oh, you feel _good_," Jounouchi moaned, putting his hands on top of Seto's on his face---pushing the cool palms against him felt heavenly. He closed his hazel eyes.

_Okay, the reaction I wanted, but just not the way I wanted it_, Seto thought sourly.

"You are sick, Jounouchi-nii," Mokuba said, handing the thermometer and aspirin to his brother.

Seto pulled back Jou's blond hair away from his ear and put in the thermometer. "Click." Seto sighed to himself, looking at the display on the handle. "You have a high fever. Take two of these." Seto handed Jou the aspirin and Mokuba offered a bottle of water.

"A high fever? Let me feel," Mokuba said. Jounouchi leaned his face down and Mokuba put a hand to Jou's forehead. "Wow, that's too warm." Then, he glanced up at his big brother. "I really should be going now," Mokuba said, looking a little guilty. Then, his eyes widened when he remembered_. Oh, no! I promised Yuna-chan that I'd watch over Jounouchi-nii. What do I do now?_ He tilted up his raven head to look at his brother. "But, you know, I can stay home, too, if you need help with him."

Seto shook his head. "Go on. Have a good time."

"No worries. See?" Jou said. He opened his mouth, tossed in both aspirins, opened the bottle of water, and drank half of it in one gulp.

Seto glared at him.

"Okay, if you say so." Mokuba gave a nod and gathered up his backpack and bedroll. He started to go, but turned back reluctantly.

"It's okay," Jou reassured him. With that, Mokuba left.

Jou smiled at the closed door for a second_. I guess…I kind of mean something to him now. It almost feels like I belong._ Then, he turned his attention to Seto.

"I'm sorry," Jounouchi said, ruffling his own hair. "You worked to have a nice dinner ready, too. I messed things up." Jounouchi leaned in and hugged Seto, which surprised him. "I guess I'll see you later."

"Where are you going?" Seto asked, his voice stern.

"Huh? I'm going back to the house." The blond reached into his pocket and pulled out a small key ring. He held it up by his father's key.

Seto noticed that Jounouchi didn't call the place "home." He never did.

"Is your father there? I don't remember you mentioning him coming back."

"No," Jou shifted his shoulders uneasily, "I haven't seen him in months. Sometimes, he'll leave a voicemail at the house. But, that's been awhile, too. No worries, though. I'm sorry about this." Jou's body felt stiff. He stretched a little on his way out the door. "Bye," he said without looking back… and found a hand holding his.

"I'm keeping you here," Seto said, frowning slightly.

"No, really… I'll be fine. I'll just go back and head to bed."

"You'll stay," Seto said, ending the conversation. "Can you eat something or do you want to watch television?"

"You're a little worried about me, aren't cha?" Jou smirked at the thought.

"I suppose it's television," Seto still had Jou by the hand and guided him to the sofa. He picked up the remote from the coffee table, clicked it, and sat next to Jounouchi. Usually, Seto sat down in his prideful, arrogant way--king of his castle. This time, he didn't. He sat down, distracted with an arm stretched out against the length of the couch. With Jounouchi next to him, Seto only had to move his arm down a little to have it wrapped around Jou's shoulders.

The evening news glowed in front of them. Jou's body felt warm--too warm. A little dizzy, Jounouchi found himself leaning his head on Seto's shoulder. Seto pushed back thick blond hair and looked at him. The hazel eyes were glassy.

"I hate it that I'm sick," he apologized again.

"I know. So, will you quit saying 'sorry'? It's annoying."

"Right," he sighed. Jounouchi pulled his legs up on the couch. Soon, he had his head in Seto's lap. Seto stroked Jou's blond hair—which was a comfort to them both. Softly, Seto rested a hand against his chest. He could feel Jou's heartbeat. He pressed a hand against Jou's face again. The blond closed his eyes at the cool touch.

_Too warm, but not as bad as before…_

"You seem tired," Seto said. 'Let's go to bed."

Jounouchi was suddenly awake—very awake. _Bed???_ Eyes open wide. "Umm…yeah…"

Jou's mind had wandered at the thought of "bed" and he could sense Seto standing up. He offered Jou a hand and pulled him up from the couch. As they walked, Seto mumbled to himself, "Jou can have another dose of aspirin in three hours..."

They walked on, hand in hand, down one of the hallways. "It's the blue bedroom with the white furniture that you like, right?" It was true that Jou usually picked that one when he stayed the night—which wasn't often when they first started seeing each other. But, lately, it had become another matter entirely. Jou was starting to think of Seto's couch as his second bed. But, guilt was eating at him now. And he couldn't quite let go of it.

"Well, actually..." Jou began and found Seto staring at him levelly.

"Look, I'm not sending you back to that place alone."

"No, what I mean is…" Jou decided to just blurt it out. "I want to sleep… in your bedroom…with you."

Seto looked down at the floor for a second and felt his face redden a little. "Is that what you really want?" he asked. "Really?" Jounouchi nodded, proud of himself for saying what he was thinking, and Seto took him down a different hallway.

Seto pushed the door open. Inside, Jounouchi saw a black leather sleigh bed with matching armoire, dresser, and end tables. A large, elaborate painting of a Blue Eyes White Dragon hung over the bed. There was a small sitting area with two brown and black chairs pulled up next to a table with a crystal chess set. A chair next to the closet had two spa bathrobes neatly folded on it. On the far side of the room, another door led to the master bath.

Jou walked over to the bed. The bed was turned down—showing a black comforter with a blue hand stitched edge in silk thread. The satin sheets were electric blue with a single row of little seahorses. There were two sets of silk pajamas on the bed, a pair in blue and a pair in black.

"I had hoped," Seto said with a shrug. And before Jou could open his mouth, Seto picked up the black pair and tossed them lightly to Jounouchi. "If you say 'I'm sorry,' you'll have to sleep alone tonight."

Jounouchi nodded and tugged at his shirt, pulling it off and over his head. Sick as he was, Jou was still a blond with hazel eyes, well formed shoulders, and a nice medium build. It all appealed to Seto a little too much. "In the bathroom," he said with an edge in his voice, finger pointing in the appropriate direction. "Change in there, will you?"

"Now, who's shy?" Jou joked, closing the door behind him.

Frustrated, Seto began unbuttoning his dress shirt and pulling it off roughly. _I don't know how much self-control he expects me to have! It's going to be hard enough just sharing the same bed._

In a few minutes, Jounouchi was out of the bathroom in the black pajamas, his casual clothes in a loose pile in his hands. Seto took them from him and placed them on the dresser—but managed to fold, at least, the shirt quickly.

"Black silk suits you," Seto said, his head cocked admiringly to one side. The dark color made the blond hair look like spun gold. And he was proud of himself for guessing Jounouchi's size right.

"Just curious, do you always wear that medallion to bed?" He motioned to the silver, rectangular medallion on the leather strap that Jounouchi wore with every outfit.

"Yeah," he said glancing down at it. "Someday, I'll tell you how I got it."

"I'll look forward to that story," Seto said, enjoying the bit of mystery in his better half.

Then, Jou turned his attention to the bed. "Which side of the bed do you want?" Jounouchi asked.

"I don't care. I'm by myself most of the time anyway."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." His voice had a sad ring to it all of a sudden.

Jounouchi climbed in and sat in the middle of the bed. Then, he rolled to the left side. "I'll sleep on this side…if that's okay?"

Seto nodded and took the right. They both crawled under the covers and pulled the sheets and comforter up.

"Hey, these feel good," Jou said, "I've never slept on satin sheets before."

"I have some silk ones, too, but I like this set better." Seto rested his head on a pillow. His chestnut hair slid back seductively.

Jou looked at Seto out of the corner of his eye. _I have him alone…and all to myself in his bedroom._ _I've thought about this a lot. I just wish I felt better. Being sick was not a part of my fantasies at all. Ugh! This is so unfair._

Before Seto knew it, Jounouchi was leaning over him, silk pajamas sliding smoothly against them both. He came in close and kissed him softly on the lips. Seto kissed back. But, then, the kiss grew deeper and more urgent. Fingers combing through chestnut hair. Jounouchi's face, hands, and skin felt burning hot. His heart beat hard against his chest. "Love you," he sighed as he tugged at Seto's pajama top, trying to put a hand underneath it. To his surprise, Seto turned his head away and the kiss broke.

"Could you just _stop_ it?" Seto barked. "I know you feel bad. I know you feel guilty for feeling bad. But, I don't want my first time with you to be out of guilt. Understood?"

"Yeah," Jounouchi said, feeling more than a little hurt for being rebuffed. "You're right." _This night just keeps getting worse and worse… _He hung his head. Some part of Jou wanted to slam his fist against the feather pillow in frustration.

In the next second, Jou could feel himself being pulled into Seto's arms. His body slid against the sheets. "You'll just have to be satisfied with being in my arms tonight." Jou felt his face redden, and not just from the fever.

Seto leaned back in bed, feeling Jounouchi against him. "You are still like a furnace. When will that aspirin work?" Seto complained, touching Jou's face again. His blue eyes had a tinge of worry. Not comfortable in that position, Jou shifted himself. His head was now against Seto's chest. The heartbeat was comforting and kind. It felt right. Seto's arms found him again.

"If I'm too warm to you, let me go," Jou said.

"No, I'm not going to let you go. In fact, I'd rather… keep you here." Seto stared down at Jounouchi briefly. "What do you say to moving into the mansion with me and Mokuba?" Jou could hear the heartbeat speed up at the question.

Jou thought about it. But, instead of being happy, he suddenly felt alone. It was the same way he felt when Seto had given him the house key a few weeks ago wrapped up in a small silver box.

"Why not ask me again…after graduation…if we're still together?"

Seto sat up in bed. He blinked down at Jou. "What did you just say? _If we're still together_?" Seto's mouth was hanging open slightly and he was staring in disbelief. "Why? Is there someone else, or have you changed your mind about us?" _This doesn't make sense. Just a minute ago..._

Jounouchi looked worried. _He's upset. I didn't mean to…_

Jounouchi reached up and pulled Seto down on top of him. "I think I'll risk the wrath of Kaiba Seto for this moment," his tone was mildly amused, even though he didn't feel it. Jou hugged Seto against him and said quietly, "I'm sorry for scaring you. You're the only one I want." He stroked Seto's back to reassure him, but Seto wasn't convinced. He allowed Jou to hold him but didn't do much else.

_I have to explain…_

"Kaiba? Let's look at things realistically. I know that sounds strange because I'm the dreamer of the two of us, but there's one thing I can't deny. People just don't stay together forever." Jou's voice sounded different now, distant. "I mean, your parents are dead. My parents split. Both of us… don't have a good history of relationships with just about anyone."

None of it felt any better to Seto. He wanted this to be permanent, and to feel permanent, too. This was the kind of life he'd been building with Mokuba. The prideful part of Seto wanted to push Jounouchi away for saying those things. But another part was clinging to him—the part that could feel Jounouchi's arms around him.

"I want to stay with you," Jounouchi said, "and I'll be by your side until the day comes when you no longer need me. The day you want me to go, I'll disappear."

Seto rolled Jounouchi onto his back, resting his head on the blond's shoulder. Mentally, he was kicking himself for what was happening. _I've forgotten that Jou's afraid of being left behind. Too many people have abandoned him. How he's gotten this far on his own, I'll never know._

"It'll hurt like hell when I have to leave. But, I'll do it for your sake," Jounouchi continued.

"And if that day never comes…?" Seto asked quietly, his face stern.

Jou shook his head doubtfully. "I just want you to know that it's okay. I won't hate you." He smiled sadly to himself. He would stay with Seto for as long as the fates allowed—and appreciate it.

Seto placed a hand against the side of Jou's face, blond hair spilling through his fingers. "Then, I'll ask you again at graduation. But the answer had better be "yes" because you just promised to be by my side." _By my side forever…And I'll make it "forever," even if Jou doesn't believe in it…_

Jou leaned back and looked at the ceiling. He was about to say something, but changed his mind. "I guess we should get some sleep. I'll go turn off the lights." Before Seto could offer to do it, Jou got out of bed, flicked off the light, and edged his way back.

"I _hate_ the dark," Jou complained, finding the bed by bumping into it. "Maybe, I can get to sleep quickly."

"Really? It's never bothered me. There's nothing in the dark that isn't there in the daytime." He could feel the bed dip slightly with Jou's weight as he got in. Seto quickly found Jou's body again and pulled him into another embrace. This time, the length of Seto's body was pressed against his back with arms circled around his shoulders.

"Thanks," Jou said as more of a sigh. Their bodies felt good together.

"Jounouchi?"

"Yes, Kaiba?"

"I'd like you to do something for me."

"Really?" Jou, curious. He was enjoying the feeling of Seto cuddling him. He felt safe.

"I want you to call me 'Seto' from now on."

In the dark, he could hear Jounouchi say, "Really? Okay, I'll call you 'Seto' when it's just us." There was a smile in his voice. "You know, I really love that."

"No," Seto corrected, turning Jou onto his back and speaking where their lips were practically touching, "I want you to _always_ call me Seto—from now on."

"Just 'Seto'? Always? In front of everyone?"

_I just said it, didn't I?_ he thought, frowning in the dark.

He put his head on Jounouchi's chest. It felt cooler now. The fever was down. Seto laced his fingers with Jounouchi's and, at that moment, Seto could hear the heartbeat speed up. He smiled to himself.

"Your heart tells me 'yes," Seto whispered to him.

"Yes."

"Your heart says 'I love you'."

"Yes."

"Your heart says 'Please don't leave me, Seto'."

There was a pause in the dark. A sincere voice said, "Yes."

Seto rolled over in the bed a few times, taking Jou with him. Jou caught himself laughing even though he felt tears in his eyes.

"Wait! My feet are getting tangled up in the sheets," Jou laughed again.

"Deal with it," Seto challenged him.

"Hey, I'm sick! You have to be gentle with me," Jou snickered into Seto's neck, the sheets balled up around them.

A firm hand found Jounouchi's forehead. "Your fever broke. Does that mean you're fair game?" Seto joked.

There was a delicious, sexy laugh in the dark. Seto's heart almost stopped when he heard it. _That…that was Jounouchi?_

Jounouchi's arms were suddenly wrapped around his neck. Jou's face was hovering above his. He didn't need to see it; he could sense the presence. "I am yours," said the whisper, no hesitation, "and you are mine—you belong to me right now." Seto suddenly felt his body pushed back against the bed with the weight of a body on top—both of his hands laced with Jou's. Feather-light soft and sweet little kisses on his neck trailed down. His skin had the scent of sandalwood.

"I think I've been pretty clear on this point," Seto said with a harsh voice that sounded nothing like him. He twisted out of it and rolled his body away.

_Damn, he's good… Too good… Giving in to this would be so easy. And, now, I've probably hurt his feelings __again_, Seto thought with a frown. _Why doesn't he listen to me?_

Seto sat up in the bed and pulled Jou into a sitting position, too. "Let me hold you again," he said quietly and Jounouchi felt arms holding him in the dark. Seto said while resting Jou's head against his shoulder and stroking blond hair, "Listen to me. I want you to get some sleep. Get better. The way I see it, you are mine now because your heart already belongs to me. And this bed is 'our' bed from now on."

"Ours?"

"You heard me…"

Lips kissed Jou's cheek with a velvet touch.

"And you can 'be mine' in our bed tomorrow night…and all the other nights as well. But you don't need to prove anything to show me that you love me. I know it already." With a frustrated sigh, he pulled Jou closer to him still and lowered both of their bodies back down onto the bed. Seto closed his eyes. He felt soft, blond hair against his face.

"Oh….and, you can stop pouting now," he whispered into Jou's ear.

"Right."

Pout.

Seto fell asleep first. Jou felt comforted by the quiet breathing in the dark. Seto's arms clung to Jou, strong and firm. His head rested against the blond—sharing the same pillow.

_I guess, there's nothing in the dark that isn't there in the daytime. _He smelled the Cool Water Deep cologne on Seto's skin_. And he's no longer my friend, he's my lover—even if he won't let me make love to him just yet. But that's okay, too. Maybe, we have the rest of our lives for that...maybe… I want to believe it now. Thank you, Seto._

And Katsuya Jounouchi, for the very first time in his life, fell asleep in the arms of someone who truly loved him.

* * *

Note: "Gomen na" is a more masculine way of saying "sorry."

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"So," Yuna said while wiping down the coffee bar and glancing up at the darkening sky out the window, "if my tarot cards were so wrong the other day, what were your brother and Katsuya-kun making in the kitchen?"

Mokuba's eyes bugged at the question. He didn't really want to answer that one. He just shrugged and took a bite of his dark chocolate almond biscotti.

"This is really good," he mumbled between crunches. It made Yuna cock her head to one side—watching him impishly.

The bell over the glass door chimed when Yugi and Anzu entered.

"Welcome," Yuna said to them both in her usual, serene way. Yuna was dressed in a navy blue cotton dress tonight with a black and yellow coffee shop apron on. She wore the baseball cap, which was part of her work uniform, backwards just like Jounouchi—which suited her mood and aura, but annoyed her father for being too 'boyish' for his 'pretty little girl.' Then again, he was upstairs right now, watching television, and what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"Hi," Yugi said as he approached the counter, "we need two ice coffees." Yugi and Anzu were still on their date. They'd bought matching T-shirts at the park concert and were wearing them over their street clothes. A Japanese instrumental rock band called The Black Mages was in town—playing dramatic, cutting edge music that would end up on a video game soundtrack someday. Since their live performances were rare, Yugi just had to get tickets for the two of them.

"Is there anything else I can get for you?" came the soft voice.

"No thanks," Anzu smiled back.

Yuna nodded and walked toward the cups.

"Mokuba, hi!" Anzu said, suddenly noticing him. Mokuba nodded back with a mouth full of biscotti, crumbs trailing down his chin. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, leaving a dark mark.

_This might be a chance to get some information_, Yugi thought.

"Ummm…Mokuba….We keep seeing your brother at school," Yugi said, "but we've got review tests all week, and we haven't had a chance to talk to him."

Mokuba's eyes grew suspicious.

"Yes," Anzu said, "just curious…has he spoken to…Pegasus recently?"

"Why would he?"

"Well, we've been trying to contact Pegasus. But he's on vacation. At least, that's what his people say," Yugi continued.

Mokuba shrugged. "I'm sure Mr. Fancy Pants would probably do that. He's probably trying to forget the last time we met up with him---which was…what…? Five or six weeks ago?" He thought back to how wrecked the Crawford Mansion was when they left, and he laughed to himself openly. Then, he noticed the frown on Yugi's face. "Why ask anyway? Is it a big deal?"

"Well, actually…," Anzu began.

"It's no big deal," Yugi interrupted with an arm around Anzu. With a fake smile, he gave a quick shake of the head "no" to her, and she understood right away. _Kaiba-kun would probably hate us for saying too much and upsetting his little brother._

Mokuba noticed the sudden arm around Anzu and smiled evilly.

_Thanks, Mokuba! Now Yugi will be embarrassed, and he'll take his arm back. _Anzu tried to look calm but continued to fume inwardly.

Yugi's violet eyes danced between the two of them. _Anzu worries too much_, Yugi thought to himself. With a sincere smile this time, he looked Mokuba in the eye…and hugged Anzu a little tighter.

"Your drinks," Yuna said, putting the two milky iced beverages on the counter.

Yugi gave her the money, and she stepped lightly over to the register. On the way back with his change, Yuna thought she saw something moving outside the picture window and a brief, yellow glow that quickly faded away to nothingness. Slightly distracted, she handed the change over, but kept watching.

"Is there a problem?" Anzu asked, glancing behind her.

"No," Yuna said quietly. Her eyes got a little crafty, which Mokuba immediately noticed, "I just realized I forgot to take the trash out." Her gaze turned to Mokuba. "Could you watch things for me?"

"I can take the trash for you, Yuna-chan," he said—which made Yugi and Anzu stare at him. The Mokuba that they knew would never offer to do such a thing.

"I can do it," she said with a calm smile. "It's behind our building." Her long, black braid swung heavily when she tilted her head.

Yuna went to the little white trashcan that she kept under the coffee bar and pulled out the clear, plastic sack full of empty soda cans.

The bell chimed at the door and Yuna stopped, putting the plastic sack back. Her plan to see what was going on outside didn't work. Maybe, it still wasn't too late-- if she could get rid of these customers soon enough. She looked up to see two men in business suits entering.

"Welcome," Yuna said quietly.

Both men stopped directly in front of the coffee bar. One of them was high school age and had his hands in his pockets. The suit looked good on him and emphasized his long brown hair and brown eyes. The other, in his late 20's, had a tired expression, a wide nose, dull black hair cropped back, and muddy colored eyes. He was already thumbing through his wallet.

"Two dark coffees." A stubby cigarette between his fingers, the man pulled out a large bill and stared directly into her chocolate eyes.

Mouth open slightly, Yuna just blinked at him for a second. Her eyes were drawn to the cigarette. _Was that what I saw out the window? That glow? But, why…?_

"Yuna" Mokuba said in a "snap out of it" tone , bringing her attention back just as Anzu took a sip and dribbled some of her drink down the side of her cup. She watched Yugi walk down to the end of the bar to fetch some napkins.

Yuna's attention was locked on her two customers. She nodded at them shakily and whispered a soft "sorry" with her head down and got to work. The men stood there and looked the place over—casting casual glances at Yugi, Anzu, and Mokuba. The macho stance didn't bother Mokuba in the slightest. He was used to people like that—from his brother's 'men in black' to the execs at Kaiba Corp. It was just an act to impress. But, from watching Yuna's face, though, Mokuba guessed that it bothered her. He folded his arms and glared back at them.

_They'd better not cause trouble_, he thought.

"Your drinks," Yuna said, forcing the lids on in front of them.

A rough, scarred hand offered the bill. Cautiously, Yuna took it and made herself look up at the two of them. The younger one, enjoying this, smiled toothily at her. He seemed to have a little fang in one corner of his mouth. His companion glared at him with a pinched-looking face. He was in no mood for head games.

Yuna left them and came back as quickly as she could with the change. She put it on the counter and pushed it in their direction.

"Oi," the older one said, glaring directly into Yuna's face, "is that any way to treat your customers?" The angry growl got the attention of Yugi and Anzu.

"Should we help her?" Yugi whispered.

"Let's see if she needs us," Anzu said.

This time, Yuna's eyes took on a soft glow. She lifted her chin and looked deeply into him. And, there was the hint of a smile on her lips now. The younger man, watching this, seemed taken aback. Her demeanor had changed radically in only a few seconds. She dropped her voice to barely above a whisper. "The message that you couldn't read," she said, "was a lie. You are watching the wrong persons for the wrong reasons."

"You're crazy," he muttered.

"If you go back to the beginning of the end, you'll see that she is the one."

"Stupid," the man said, taking his change and coffee.

"You have a full body tattoo of a four toed dragon on your back and a mole under your right arm. Now, who's stupid?" she whispered even lower.

The man gaped at her. "Do I know you?" He pulled his long sleeves a little lower to hide the inked skin that was peeking out at the wrists.

"A metal building will be your cage. Just like your soul, empty and cold."

"We're leaving," the man said and glared—but he glanced back to see Yuna's face change back. Out of nervousness, she straightened her cap to give herself something to do.

The man's younger companion followed. "I heard what she said," he mumbled as they went out the door. "But, she's right. You do have a dragon tattoo. You love to show it off every time we play cards." He turned his head and winked at Yuna as they left. Yuna's face flushed and Mokuba glared darkly.

"Jerks!" Mokuba said, standing up and leaning against the coffee bar with arms folded. Now that they were gone, he was feeling brave again.

Anzu's face drained of color slightly but forced herself to recover. "Well, you handled them well," Anzu said, trying to sound encouraging. "I've had problem customers before, too. I worked at Burger World for a time."

"Thank you," Yuna said with a smile. "I did my best." _But I think I said too much. I'm worried now. But, I always feel that way after telling the complete truth as I see it._

Anzu tugged at Yugi's sleeve and stared at him with worried eyes.

"Did you hear their voices?" she said in low tones so that Yuna and Mokuba wouldn't notice.

"Um, well…"

"They're the same ones from the park. Well, not all of them because we saw four men walking away. But those two were definitely in the group of men we heard talking on the other side of the tree."

"Yes, you're right!" Yugi said. "Now, we know what two of them look like."

"Oh, the trash," she said. Yuna made a second attempt—going over and pulling out the plastic sack. _That glow was definitely a cigarette. I wonder if it was the same man…?_

She took two strides when she felt a presence behind her. Jounouchi stepped out of the door leading to the back rooms.

"Katsuya-kun," Yuna said peacefully, not turning around just yet. There was a smile coming to her face. She "felt" him more than "saw" him these days.

"Hey, Yugi. Anzu." He gave them a short, friendly wave.

"Jounouchi? There's something that we've been meaning to talk to you about," Yugi said but noticed Mokuba's intense interest. "But, it's no big deal, and we can talk to you about it later over lunch, or I'll give you a call or something."

Anzu nodded.

"Okay," Jou said with a wink. "Well, my shift is over for another day, and I'm off," he said enthusiastically. The blond was dressed in a crisp, white button down shirt with long sleeves and pair of jeans. He smiled at Yuna boyishly. "Thanks for letting me change here. I've got a dat- …uh…late…I mean…I've got something to do tonight, and I don't want to be late." His hazel eyes were full of mischief.

_Ha!_ Mokuba thought to himself with a wicked grin. _You mean, you've got a late date with my big brother, and you're trying to keep it quiet._

Mokuba and Jou shared a knowing glance.

"So, see ya!"

When Jounouchi started to leave Yuna said, "Wait, please" and put down the trash at her feet. Jou turned, surprised at her. She approached him, stood on tiptoe, and fixed his collar—turning it down properly and straightening it in the front. Jou noticed for the first time that her hands were small and gentle. Her face had a kind of heart shaped quality to it, too. Usually, she never got this close to him. For a brief second, the shape of her eyes reminded him of his sister.

"Now, you're perfect. Enjoy your movie," she said softly.

"How did you know that?" Jounouchi asked, head cocked to one side.

Yuna suddenly stared down at her feet, her face draining of color. _Oh, no! That just popped out_. She forced her tone to be even and said quietly, "I guessed." She shrugged and walked over to the door, holding it open for him. "You're going to be late, though. And be careful."

Jou blinked at her.

_Oh, no! I did it again!_ Her face flushed. "It's pretty dark outside," she added, pretending that the sky interested her. "Lovely moon."

Jou gave her a puzzled look as he walked out the door.

_Be careful? Where did that come from? I'm saying all kinds of strange things tonight._ She sighed inwardly. Possibly, her chi was unbalanced. She could feng shui her bedroom again, maybe—and the closet, too.

Leaning against the open glass door, Yuna watched him leave. He hadn't taken more than three steps away from the coffee shop before he had forgotten the whole thing and his mind was on his date. She watched Jou get into the back of a black limo that was parked at the corner—the same one that Mokuba was always disappearing into. The driver saw her looking and tipped his hat to her. She nodded in return.

There was a nagging part of Yuna that kept saying "protect," but she saw no real need for that. _Sometimes, my radar is totally off. I'll have to ignore it for now. _Then, her eyes caught something—the same something as before—shadows in the dark. Yuna was never afraid of shadows, curious maybe, but never afraid of them. But, this time, now that she was closer, she had a different feeling entirely. Her eyes couldn't tell if it was one shadow or more than one. The shifting shapes were coming from the alley between her building and the next. There was a scraping sound on gravel—feet, maybe.

"Mokuba-kun?" Yuna said, not looking behind her. "I'm feeling a little nervous about going to the recycle bin by myself. I'm such a coward," she said it a little louder than usual—as her instincts told her to do—but, at the same time, trying not to get an edge of real fear in her voice. "I think I'll take the trash out later. I just feel like…"

"I told you. I'll do it for you," Mokuba said and picked up the small bag from the floor. "Honestly, it's no big deal."

Yuna was about to say something else, but he cut her off with a dramatic wave of his hand. He took steps forward with the trash. Then, Mokuba cut his eyes back at her. Her face was pale in the moonlight. She seemed worried about him, and he liked her concern. It fed his ego. He felt like a hero. Maybe, she'd kiss him again if he was really lucky.

_Yuna-chan can be difficult sometimes_, he thought with a wry smile.

In two large strides, he was outside.

"If you're worried, just stand there. I'll be right back, Yuna-chan," he called over his shoulder. As Mokuba approached, totally clueless of his surroundings, the shifting shadows retreated.

Yuna watched it all from the front door, biting the tip end of her index finger. _I don't think I agree with you, Mokuba-kun. Something feels like a big deal. I just don't know what—right now. _She sensed someone behind her and saw that Yugi and Anzu were trying to leave the shop with their drinks, but she was blocking the doorway.

"So sorry," Yuna said keeping the door open for them. "And please come again." She bowed to them as they left.

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The twenty-two year old secretary with cherry-red dye in her hair suddenly looked up from her magazine to a brown delivery suit, an overloaded dolly-cart, and a clipboard thrust in her face.

"Where do you want it?"

"Did someone order this?"

There was a bored sigh, "Says here it's…Kaiba Seto, CEO, Kaiba Corp…three cases of three hole punched, acid-free, 104 brightness copy paper. It's been paid for. Where do you want it?"

"Right," she said, "I'm just a temp because Mr. Kaiba wants to work during Umi No Hi (Marine Day)." She smiled brightly and thought of all the money she was getting for one day of work. "So there's not many people around. And, I don't really know where they put everything. Let me go check."

The admin went off down the corridor to see if there was anyone on their floor who could help her. She left her office key behind on the desk and the door locked behind her when it shut. The brown suit fingered the key briefly and pocketed it. The brown suit waited another minute, left everything, and wandered away—finding a door marked "Kaiba Seto, CEO."

As it was one of those annoying national holidays that no one ever truly celebrates, Kaiba felt it was necessary to work. He could get a ton of things done in a little bit of time. Best of all, since this was a Japanese holiday, he could get a number of international calls and business deals taken care of and not be interrupted by petty, annoying secretaries or puppet executives with overblown egos—no matter how useful their contacts were.

The massive window behind Seto showed the lunch time traffic and people walking to and fro. But he ignored it. Instead, he was writing a series of memos and using the "BCC" on the e-mails to his best advantage.

He was reaching for the extra large coffee that Jounouchi had delivered fifteen minutes before when the door knob jangled.

_Hell, what does she want now? Directions to the bathroom? How much am I paying her to be useless?_

"Kaiba-sama?"

Seto's heart almost stopped.

His ice blue eyes shot to the door.

"You didn't forget me, I see. I'm so glad."

Standing in front of his desk was Namiko—dressed in a brown delivery uniform with her hair pulled back into a ponytail. She walked to the door and smiled to herself as she closed it. The door shut with a crisp, satisfying "click."

"How, the hell, did you not get arrested?!" Venom was in his voice and he was half standing up when he said it.

"When I woke up, I twisted out of the green cloth that someone tied me up with." She sat on the edge of his desk, took Seto's coffee, and drank it. Her eyes were still on him almost hungrily. "Mmmmm…It tastes like you," she said, smiling into the brown liquid. She licked her upper lip slowly with the tip of her tongue.

"What do you want?" Seto said coldly. Maybe, if he could pay her off…or…delay her…

"Well, right now, I wanted to see _you_," she purred. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"You're an assassin," Seto said, sitting back down in his chair and forcing himself to be calm. He pressed his palms together and regarded her in the cool way that he always did to the tax accountants.

It suddenly made sense. In his mind, Namiko had to be the person following Jounouchi in the night. She was also, most likely, the person on the Kaiba estate shortly afterwards.

"So, yes, I've got a problem with that."

Namiko slinked around the side of the desk. From her point of view, she had Seto cornered—still sitting in his executive chair—and she smiled a little. He was surprised to see her sit on the desk again.

"Actually, I've been here for awhile now."

Seto's eyes flickered with anger.

"I followed you both back home several weeks ago. You do know what I mean by 'both,' don't you? Oh, there were others…Yugi-san, Anzu-san…Mokuba-chan…" Her tone grew a bit deeper with each name. _"Katsuya-kun."_

Seto said nothing, but simply stared back at her. She liked that. This was exactly what she wanted.

"Katsuya-kun is very blond and girly. Tell me truly… Is he that good in bed? Is he a _natural_ blond?"

Seto had to fight with himself to keep from showing the rage that he felt.

"None of your business," he said evenly.

"I guess that means 'yes.' Well, I would suggest that you plan one final romantic evening together," she said with a sexy sigh. "You'd better take the opportunity—one last time."

"Why would you say…?" Seto's confusion was starting to show.

Namiko pulled from her pocket his secretary's key on a Kaiba Corp keyring and placed it on the desk. "I am so good at collecting things." She saw from Seto's face that he recognized the key. It was real.

Namiko took from her pocket a photograph and placed it on the desk. Seto glared at it and then his eyes widened. The photo was of Mokuba sitting at his desk in school. He was looking down at his worksheet, totally bored and unmotivated. He was flipping his pencil in the air. Seto felt his blood running cold.

_Mokuba! Oh, hell… She's been following Mokuba._

Finally, she took a piece of a dirty, broken shoelace from her pocket. Seto wrinkled his nose at it. "You know," she said, "your mutt broke his shoelace before school a few days ago. Westerners believe that's bad luck, you know. And, then, he put the filthy thing on his dresser—he's such a lazy ass. But I have it now."

"You've been in his _house_?" Seto was shocked but was equally determined that his voice was not going to shake. He focused all of his energy on that.

She sat back on the desk and took another sip of Seto's coffee. She said casually, "You keep sending him back to that 'hut' of a house on most nights. I can tell you the route he always takes—at night—from your mansion. But, I'm surprised, Kaiba-sama. Are you afraid to keep your mutt in your house? Does he have fleas?" Her eyes danced. "No, that couldn't be it…"

It took all of Seto's willpower to keep from standing up and striking her. He needed to keep her talking, though. There was a button under his desk that he could push to call for security. He'd do that in a minute as soon as he learned more.

"But I can understand why… Your clothes are so nice, Kaiba-sama. They're all designer, expensive…beautiful."

_Eh?_ Seto squinted back at her, confused. _What is this bitch rambling about now?_

"But, Mutt… Well… Today, he's wearing an old denim jacket, blue shirt, and jeans. His black tennis shoes are old with holes in them. The lace is broken on one," she dangled the grungy piece in front of Seto and it fell to his desk like a dead worm, "even as we speak, the rest of it is all knotted together on his shoe." She laughed a bit to herself. "And the other shoelace is frayed and withered to a thin, thin string."

Seto returned with a stony stare.

"I guess, you can't take him anywhere—except your bed—when you want to release some stress. Ashamed of sleeping with someone _beneath_ you? Maybe, literally…" She grinned at him. "I'm glad that you don't really love him. But, I can understand it, though. We're just alike, you and I."

"We are nothing alike," he growled. "And how did you get into the Jounouchi house?" he repeated.

"Do you know that his front door is so weak that it doesn't take much to get in?" She took another sip of Seto's coffee and crossed her legs. "He really needs to invest in a deadbolt."

Seto released a huffy breath. He was angry—very angry.

"What do you want?" He said it with gritted teeth.

"Oh, I haven't gotten to the best part… You always liked to rush me before I was ready," she purred.

Namiko approached Kaiba in three short steps. The blue-eyed dragon regarded her with hate. It wouldn't take much to set him off. She liked that, too. She slid her hand into her pocket.

"In general, I won't strike a woman. But, in your case, I'll make an exception." Seto moved to hit her—planning to knock her down and call security—when Namiko scratched Seto's face. It burned like hell.

"What did you scratch me with?" he yelled angrily.

Seto moved one hand to cover the slash that felt like flames were eating into him. He glared up. He heard a spraying sound and realized that he'd been sprayed with something as well. Now, his eyes were stinging with expensive perfume. Seto tried to wipe his eyes but found both arms now handcuffed to the executive chair.

"A little perfume can come in handy sometimes, Kaiba-sama." She laughed at him, took one of Seto's business letters, and fanned the last of the spray away. Inhaling some of the spray, Seto coughed and struggled, but was having a hard time moving. Namiko was now straddled across his lap, facing him.

"I remember this position," she purred into his ear. She unbuttoned her top and pulled a handkerchief from her bra. Seto was red faced and coughing when she gagged him.

He glared angrily back at Namiko. The slash on his cheek was bleeding, his eyes were watering, and he was trapped in the chair, still hacking into the gag.

Namiko grabbed both sides of Seto's head and shoved the hunched body back into the chair. She wiggled her hips in his lap a little. Then, she leaned in and blotted her lips on the side of his neck, leaving a pink lipstick mark.

"Yes, that's about right."

She admired it for a second and said, "You always liked things like this, but never on your neck—never on a place where people could see." She put her lips over the lipstick mark. She bit down. Seto inhaled sharply from the pain and could feel her suck at his skin. The sucking sensation grew harder and harder. Seto cringed. He could feel her teeth biting down and her hands wandering across his chest, stroking it. Her breath blew against him. In a minute, saliva was trailing down his neck and another wave of pain as she twisted her head. Namiko was leaving a huge bruise—and his eyes were making tears, despite his best efforts. It was impossible to stop her.

Seto's memory flashed back to the kitchen and teaching Jou a lesson about being rough. He could see himself doing it. It hurt, in the ways that always stay with you. He was almost begging his memories to stop, but they repeated. Namiko bit down. Seto felt pain shoot through him and his arm jerked.ButJou never struggled no matter how bad thepain was_. Am I really any better than Namiko? Am I? No, there is a difference—love. And I will never hurt Jounouchi like that—ever again._

Namiko leaned back and admired her lipsticked work. "I don't think you're going to forget this little conversation now."

His neck aching terribly, Seto struggled against his bonds—testing them—and then, leaned into the chair.

"I thought so."

She pinched the hickey on Seto's neck, watching him jerk back with the pain, and then got off with a wiggle.

"Okay, now to the part that I'm sure you want to hear about. Well, you've got a bigger problem than me." She laughed and slinked back and forth in front of Seto's desk. "You see, when I left Pegasus' mansion I took a few little things---like some money that was lying around-- and left a note behind written in Korean. It's the kind of message only a yakuza would understand. And, you know, the police in Pegasus' little part of the world have more than a few yakuza informants."

Seto's eyes widened in surprise.

"My old boss was gone thanks to you. And, I really liked that steady paycheck without strings attached. So, I just left behind a note on the little details like…missing money that they're owed, the Duel Monsters cards that were promised to them as partial payment, who was responsible…" Her voice trailed off.

Seto was grimacing at her. He bit down on the gag harder, too.

"The gang that my old boss, Seeker, was working with was called the Tosei-kai (Voice of the East Gang). Of course, they were supposed to be officially disbanded in the 1960's, but who can tell?" She smiled wickedly at Seto. "It would be very interesting if they were all out to get you."

She walked back to Seto and stroked his cheek, smearing the blood a little with her index finger. "But, aijin (lover), I'm determined to have Katsuya-kun all to myself, too. You can't keep him all the time. What do you say that we share him until he bores me?"

Seto kept his eyes steady. _If I don't react, it will piss her off. I'll force myself to do that._ He watched her quietly and accepted his bondage.

"Oh, the things I could do to Mutt in front of you…thanks to my time working with the yakuza…piece by piece. I'll let you watch," Namiko leaned in seductively and saw a spark of fear on Seto's eyes. She grinned to herself at the thought of Jou. Seto's blood dripped down her finger.

Namiko put the bloody index finger in her mouth and sucked on it thoughtfully. "Well, I'm so glad we were able to meet…and catch up." There was a smudge of blood on her knuckle. She licked it. "But, you know, if I don't get the opportunity to be with Katsuya-kun like I hope, then it will be boring. Who knows what I'll do to him next?"

Namiko took from her pocket the keys to Seto's handcuffs and placed them on the desk in front of him—just out of reach. "Try to involve the police, and that would be bad because the yakuza get annoyed easily," she sighed. "But, you know, I almost hope that you do phone the police because it will just give me a greater chance to prove my special skills." She toyed with the handcuff keys briefly and then leaned in. She kissed Seto on the bloody scratch mark, stinging his face again.

"Mmmm….you are tasty…."

She started to walk away and then turned back.

"Just curious," she said while wiping some of Seto's blood off her lower lip, "I'm not an expert in Duel Monsters cards but… What happens when someone plays with a fake card?"

Seto rolled his eyes. He gave her the old "I'm gagged, you idiot" look.

"Would that be a…bad thing?" she asked with mock innocence.

Seto thought about it. _Well, actually, nothing usually happens. As far as the holograms go… No monster, spell card, or trap card would appear on the field because it's not compatible with the equipment._

"If Seeker made fake cards and planned to give them to the yakuza as partial payment for their cooperation, would that be… _bad_?"

Seto stared back in confusion.

"If the cards were tainted in some way…became dangerous in some way…I wonder who would get the blame….the yakuza, Kaiba Seto, or Pegasus Crawford…?

_Oh, hell! What did Seeker do?! If he was smart enough to break into the Kaiba Corp computers and enter himself in that tournament, what else could he do?_

Namiko took a Duel Monsters Card, Pot of Greed, out of her pocket and looked at it admiringly. "This one's in English, but some of the others are in Japanese, too. I wonder how many of these are out there right now?" she said with a smirk. The card showed a pot with a huge, grinning face and narrowed slit-like eyes and a full set of yellowed teeth. "Let's just say that I had a few items tucked away in case things turned sour. Then again, I also got paid for putting down a blond mutt. I didn't quite do the job and that's a first for me. You'll have to forgive me. It's really a matter of pride, now."

She took out a dagger from her ankle sheath and looked at it admiringly. It had a beautiful glint in the natural sunlight that streamed in from the window behind Seto's desk. She took back the photo and the shoelace—pocketing them.

"I await you, Kaiba-sama. Kiss Katsuya-kun goodnight for me tonight. Hold him against your body. Make love to him. It will be your last opportunity."

By the time Seto's temp secretary had managed to find a maintenance man with keys to get her back into the CEO suite, she found her boss sitting at his desk with a hand against his cheek, hiding a scratch on his face. Leaning forward hid the huge, purpling hickey on his neck and the broken arm on his chair. He was reading something on his computer with an angry, almost boiling, look in his eyes. The room had an odd smell, too—like perfume. She was about to ask what to do with the delivery and the dolly-cart parked unceremoniously in the hallway when Seto spoke without looking at her.

"Miss Abe," Seto said in serious tones, "we won't be working past 5 PM today. So, don't get too comfortable." He turned away from her and looked out the window at the people below. A woman in a brown uniform and ponytail was walking away. His eyes narrowed into slits. He hated her.

Abe-san gave a happy nod and went back to her desk. In spite of Kaiba's slave-driver reputation, they weren't working late after all and that was also a blessing. She could hit the bars early tonight with her best friend, Kimiko-chan. Abe-san skipped back to her desk, turned on the computer, and surfed the Internet for the next few hours.

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"I guess it can't be helped," Seto grumbled to himself.

Some part of him was dreading the next half hour. He couldn't focus his mind on his work and kept watching the clock on his computer. Finally, he phoned the temp secretary in the next room and told her she was done for the day—even though it was fifteen minutes early, which irked him.

"Really? Thank you, sir!" Abe-san said. _Wow, he's not like his reputation at all. He's just a little bit stern and misunderstood._

Through the door, he could hear her pack up gleefully and leave. Seto gave a brief sigh of relief. The rest of the building should be empty now.

Seto took the handcuffs, key, and gag out of the drawer and pocketed them. He closed the laptop, and put his coat on. The CEO made his way to the elevator, distracted. On the way out, Seto tossed the handcuffs in the nearest trashcan along with its key_. I wish I could erase the memory of this day._ Some part of him wanted to call the police. But Namiko _told_ him to report this. And they would either think he was crazy, or they'd start following him around—attracting the attention of the press and, then, he'd never be left alone. He also knew that, eventually, Jounouchi would be dragged in along with his little brother. No. That would not do at all. He'd handle this personally and quietly.

Seto pushed the button for the elevator and flipped open his phone. He dialed the number next to the name "Kageyama." The phone chimed and a female voice answered immediately.

"Whatever you need, I'm there," was her answer.

_She knows something is up. _

For the first time in hours, Seto smiled a little. "I'm in need of your help and that of your boss. Let's set up a meeting tomorrow at 8 AM in my office. Starting tonight, I need some information on an assassin named 'Namiko' who was working for a lowlife computer hack and thug named 'Seeker.'

"Was this the same 'Seeker' from two months back?"

"The same… Well, actually, it's been about six weeks now. And there's a connection between Namiko, imitation Duel Monsters Cards, and a yakuza gang called Voice of the East Gang."

Kageyama's tone quickly changed from concern to aggression. "Voice of the…oh, hell… I mean, yes, sir! I already have some ideas on where to start."

"Good…"

"I have 'friends' in low places."

Seto smirked a little. "Oh, and Kageyama?"

The doors opened and Seto got into the elevator. He pushed the down button.

"Sir?"

"I need around twenty of my men to watch my home tonight. Make them discrete or heads will roll."

"Yes, sir." This time, Kageyama's voice had a commanding tone, "I'll supervise them myself if you like."

"Do it."

"Yes, sir," she said again with finality. Things had gotten worse and it wasn't a surprise. She had predicted it. It was only a matter of time before he saw reason, too. And, now, she would take no chances with his safety.

Seto closed his phone and felt a bit better—but only a bit. Kageyama was going to keep an eye on the men and the house. That was one problem solved for the night. He cringed inwardly before making the next call. His hand shook a little, and he cursed himself for it.

Exiting the elevator, Seto scrolled down on the menu and found a name written in kanji. He dialed the number marked "Jounouchi."

Jou picked up on the second ring.

"Hey, I'm glad you called me. I get off work soon." His voice had a honeyed glow to it.

"Jounouchi," Seto said and placed a hand against the hickey on his neck, "Can you meet me at the mansion? I know you get off in ten minutes. I'll send the limo for you."

"No thanks, Seto," he said, a little yawn coming now. "It's absolutely wonderful outside. And, I've been inside this place for far too long—a little stir crazy. I need to stretch my legs."

"I'll send a cab for you, then," Seto said with more persistence than usual. He turned down a corridor and headed for the parking garage.

"Is there…a problem?" Jou sounded confused.

There was a pause. He stopped. Seto looked up at the ceiling. He knew he was delaying the inevitable.

"We need…to talk," Seto said, his tone was grave.

"I'm sorry…? Wha-?" Jounouchi said, not believing what he was hearing.

"You heard me."

"Um…yeah… I'm okay with that. Can you tell me what it's about?"

"When I see you… I'll order the cab now." He started walking again.

"No thanks. I said 'I'll walk.' Bye." His voice sounded awkward, and he hung up quickly.

Seto closed the phone with a snap and put it in his trouser pocket. "Why wouldn't you let me send a limo or a cab? You're a total and complete ass. And there's no dealing with you!" He fumed openly as he stormed along a lonely corridor and pushed the glass door hard. It didn't matter if he broke it. Kaiba Corp was his, after all.

As angry as he was, some part of Seto worried that Jou wouldn't make it alone. Namiko would find him. But in a matter of seconds, "worry" turned to debate—the CEO in him was taking over. _No, it's still daylight and there'd be witnesses. She wanted me to make love to Jounouchi one last time. So, he'll make it home—I hope—and then I'll tell him what I know. We'll protect Mokuba, too. It will be fine. It will __all__ be fine… But, she said that if she got "bored"… She wants Jou. She wants Jou…dead. She's hurt him before. His body still has the scars from last time. I've seen them. No, I'll stop her… I'm Kaiba Seto. And I can do anything!_

Seto exited the last doorway and entered the parking garage. It was dim inside with weak halogen lights affixed to the walls. Each step echoed back in a lonely, dark tone. His top of the line black Honda, one of his favorite toys, was sitting all alone. He looked around and, not seeing anyone, approached it with his typical cool aloofness. Alone. Some part of him was grateful for that. But the image of a blond, smiling Jounouchi holding up a Duel Monsters Card defiantly at him kept entering his mind. Seto got inside, turned the key, and headed for home. He drove the speed limit and practiced in his head the whole speech he was going to have to say to Jou. He hoped that Jounouchi would be reasonable, would accept his help, and understand the gravity of the situation.

_If he doesn't get it…then, there will be the usual arguments. And, my "people" will have to watch Jou's every step—including trips to the toilet. Be reasonable, Jou!_

Upon nearing the Kaiba mansion, Seto noticed one of his men in black standing casually next to a wall lighting a cigarette and watching the traffic pass by. Seto ordered him to give him an update on the situation.

"I just got here myself, sir. My boss, Kageyama, is around back, though." He pointed the way.

"Fine," Seto said with an icy glare and drove on. He was turning a corner when he saw Kageyama-san with her back to him. He recognized the medium sized Japanese woman with brown hair and a pretty nice figure for a woman in her mid 50's. She was clearly the one in control and had an over-the-ear headset on and talking on her cell phone while writing on a clipboard. Hearing the car, she turned. Her eyes lit up a little when she saw Seto drive up. She pressed a finger to her earpiece and said into the phone, "Yes, sir. He's here now. I can call you back in thirty minutes for an update."

As she approached the car, Seto's window rolled down. Her face had a smug look to it and her casual posture made him feel better.

"How is it?" he asked, his voice businesslike.

"I spoke to my boss, Kazama-sensei. He's doing the research on Namiko for you while I watch the house."

Seto raised an eyebrow at that._ Hmmm…Translation: My wimpy, research-oriented boss is sitting peacefully on his ass at home in front of a computer while I'm out here all night watching your house_, Seto thought tartly.

Kageyama's smile flickered a little when she saw Seto's face twist into a sneer. She decided to let it go. "I'll supervise everything else tonight. We will be working on rotating shifts. But this won't be cheap for you in the long run if it takes several weeks to track Namiko's movements."

_Like money matters at this point_, he thought. "Fine."

She gave him a slight bow—the kind a samurai would give his master. "As always, if I'm needed… I'll be nearby."

Seto nodded and drove off.

The car approached the back gate. Two men stood aside as the automatic doors opened and closed. The mansion had a four car garage. Seto parked in the second bay and waited for the garage door to close. Alone again, he folded his arms and leaned against the wheel. This was going to be hard—very hard. Usually, he felt so in control. He'd make decisions, show up in a flashy style, and embody the very definition of confidence. It was a game, really. But, now, it was different. And it wasn't just Mokuba that he had to look out for anymore. He had Jou, too. The simple life with Mokuba that he thought he wanted for so long was gone. The two of them were manageable. Three was now taxing—especially with the dangers that Namiko brought with her.

Seto grabbed his things, closed the car door and locked it with a "chirp." He circled around to the front of the house, glancing casually at the property as he did so. No one. He stood on the top step a little longer than necessary and then entered his house. He was not looking forward to the next few minutes. He didn't want to scare Mokuba and Jounouchi, but he couldn't hide things from them any longer. He hoped, deep inside, that he could control the situation and keep it to just the three of them. But Namiko had mentioned Yugi and Anzu. That was a problem, too.

When Seto came through the door, he was surprised to see Mokuba and Jou waiting near the foyer. Jounouchi had been pacing. He could tell from the way Jou's body froze in position when he walked through the door. Jou's jacket was off—thrown onto the edge of the couch. He was looking upset already. His body was tense. His face looked flush and his eyes, watery.

"What's going on, Nii-sama? Jounouchi-nii's been acting a little…I dunno…strange," he turned back to look at Jou when he said it. Maybe the truth would embarrass Jou into talking about his problem—whatever it was.

Seto took a shaky breath and tried to hide it while he removed his shoes.

The child watched them both for a second. The silence was awkward, too. Jou didn't greet him with a smile and the usual "Welcome back." _Something's definitely up,_ he thought. Suddenly, Mokuba's eyes widened. "What happened to you?" He was about to point out the scratch when Jou stepped over for a closer look, blocking his view a little. Mokuba pushed through anyway.

"Oi, he's got a hickey—a big one!" Mokuba announced, cutting his eyes craftily to Jounouchi. The child's grin was crooked.

"Yeah, he does," Jou replied with pain in his voice. "So…ummm…how did you get it?"

Seto put a hand to his neck, eyes downcast. _I hate that woman so much!_ he thought angrily. His blue eyes narrowed into slits.

Mokuba's jaw dropped. He turned from Jou to Seto and back again. "Oh, no," he half-whispered to himself. He shook his head a little and took a step. He looked at Jou's face. Jou was heartbroken, head tilted down and hands on his hips.

"We need to talk," Seto said, "all of us."

The smell of perfume reached his nose. "No! You are such _an idiot!"_ Mokuba yelled in an outburst so loud, deep, and violent that it rattled Seto. He'd never heard his brother shout like that at him before—ever. "No! I _am not listening_ to this!" His tone was vicious, face twisted in rage. "How could you?! We were happy!" His older brother reached out and Mokuba quickly backed away. Now, Mokuba's fists were clinched, nails biting into his hands.

"Listen, this involves you, too." Seto was struggling with his temper now. And the temptation to yell back was overpowering.

"Hell, no!" Mokuba shouted and ran for his room, thundering up the stairs with his feet as loudly as he could. "I HATE YOU!" he yelled back.

Jounouchi looked away, rubbing his eyes. "I knew this was coming. It's okay, though." He motioned toward Mokuba's room. "I-I'll have a talk with him tomorrow or something..."

"Eh?" Seto gaped at him. "I haven't said a word to anyone just yet!" His eyes were wide. He couldn't believe what was happening. "Look, I want to talk about this," and he fingered the hickey painfully. He winced.

"I thought it was pretty clear when you used the old 'we need to talk' line and didn't want to say more on the phone." Jounouchi felt himself getting upset all over again. His fears were coming true, but he had prepared himself for it. He'd practiced the whole scenario in his head one hundred times. He just didn't think it would be today.

"Look, it's okay, Kaiba."

"Kaiba?" He shook his head angrily, chestnut hair falling into his eyes. "It's 'Seto'," he corrected. "You're to call me 'Seto' from now on, remember?"

Jounouchi nodded weakly and eyed the hickey again. He went over to his coat and started rummaging around in the pockets.

"I know this looks bad," Seto began fingering the hickey again and then the scratch on his face. The scratch still felt raw. "But, if you'll listen to me. It's very important." Seto was still trying to break it to Jou, but his patience was running out quickly. Nothing made sense any more.

Jounouchi returned with his coat on, and he had his hands full with something that Seto had neither the time nor the patience to make out.

"You don't need me any longer. That's all. And we never promised that we'd be committed to each other. We never said the words." Jounouchi had a tear streaking down the gentle curve of his face. "I was an idiot to think any other way. High school romances never work out anyway." He handed over the three things he was carrying in his hands. "It's nobody's fault, really," he said and Seto looked down into his palms. He was holding the cell phone that he'd given Jounouchi two weeks ago, a credit card (which was never used), and the house key.

"It's okay," Jounouchi said to himself, walking away. "No worries anymore." He went for his shoes that he kept next to the door. He wiped his eyes again, his back to Seto. If he could just leave without crying anymore and, somehow, keep his dignity—it would be a good thing. He never allowed himself to cry when he practiced this moment in his head all those times.

_Oh, hell! Jou's leaving… Namiko's out there. I can't let him go!_

"Jounouchi? Look, just let me finish what I have to say. Do it, will you?"

Seto tossed what he was holding onto the couch. It was all junk anyway. He approached Jou. This time, Jou refused to turn around. He continued shoving his feet into his battered old shoes even though Seto had one arm and was trying to get his attention. The blond shook his head sadly.

"I want you to be happy…even if… it isn't with me." Jounouchi rubbed his cheek with the palm of his hand.

"_Listen_, will you?!" Seto made a fist and tightened it. He was using every ounce of control that he had to stay calm, but Jou was really getting to him. His face was turning red and he wanted to scream back at the blond in frustration.

"I won't be second place in your heart, either. Sorry, Kaiba."

"That's _Seto_!"

Jounouchi's hand touched the doorknob. .In Seto's imagination, Namiko was standing on the other side of the door, fully armed. She was waiting. She was smiling. She was getting what she wanted—exactly what she wanted. This plan had worked perfectly.

Seto felt afraid for the first time in a long time. Standing directly behind him, he held both of Jou's shoulders and leaned in against the blond.

"Let go, Kaiba. It's over," came a sad voice.

"Let go?!" Seto's face set into a scowl. He could feel his heart beating wildly and his hands dug angrily into Jou's shoulders. "Why blame me? You're always the one who is leaving. Do you know that?" He growled it in Jounouchi's ear. "You give up on us far too easily."

Jou rubbed away tears again. Seto still had his hands on his shoulders. Jounouchi gave him a bitter laugh, "You're the one coming home with the scratch, hickey, and perfume. My guess is that it was a woman this time."

"Home? Yes, Jounouchi, this is _our home_! I'm glad you know what the word means. Now, will you listen to me?" Seto asked the last question angrily. _Oh, hell! This isn't working… What do…I…do? _ "If I've ever meant anything to you, just this once…listen to me?" His voice was pleading now. He never intended it to sound that way. Kaiba Seto never pleads.

"Not a chance," Jou said. He touched the door again.

"Jounouchi!" Seto bellowed at him, malevolent and deep. He turned Jou around roughly and slapped the blond in the face as hard as he could.

Pain. Jou was doubled over in pain. He put a hand to his cheek where he could feel the sharp stinging sensation building already. It spread with a fiery force Jou didn't think possible. Ready for a fist fight, he glared up into Seto's eyes one last time and…noticed something.

"Kaiba?"

"That's 'Seto'," he whispered.

"Seto? You're crying."

Seto looked back at Jounouchi, eyes filled with tears. "I don't cry," he said roughly.

"Yeah, well…" Jou mumbled, "for you, this is crying." Jounouchi sighed angrily to himself, "_damn_ _it,_" and hung his head a little, running a strand of hair behind his ear in frustration. His eyes looked down for a moment longer. Then, a hand reached up and touched Seto's cheek. He avoided the slash mark. Seto rested his hand on top of Jou's and closed his eyes for a second.

_I can't let go of you, can I?_ the blond wondered. _Why is that?_

"Can I hold you?" Jou asked quietly. Seto nodded and Jounouchi wrapped his arms around his shoulders. Blond hair softly caressed his face. "I don't get it," Jounouchi said and held Seto tighter. "I get slapped and you get the hug. That is so typical of us." Seto's body felt warm. In spite of himself, Jou's face curved into a thin smile.

"I'd like to think there's still an 'us'," Seto said in Jounouchi's ear. "I wish you would let me talk to you."

Jounouchi's hug was comforting. If he ever lost that… No, he wouldn't allow it. Seto realized that it was something that he craved.

"Go ahead. Tell me what you wanted to say. I'll listen." Jounouchi was dreading the words, though. _Maybe, he was coming to confess and to ask for forgiveness. I keep seeing Seto as strong. What if he wasn't? Can I forgive him? But we never promised to be committed to each other. It's just… that was what I thought __he wanted__. I know that's what __I wanted__. But we've never actually said it. _He resisted the urge to look in Seto's face, to avoid the blue eyes he loved so much. _How can I be with someone, hold someone… and feel so alone?_

"Thank you," Seto said with a little relief. "The truth is...for awhile now…" Seto's voice trailed off. He could feel Jounouchi's hug getting tighter. He looked down to see Jou hugging him with eyes shut tight. He took another deep breath and continued, "I've felt like we were being followed. And I haven't told you the whole truth. We really have been."

Jounouchi suddenly slouched, leaned his head back, and squinted up with an angry look. "Oh, come on. The perfume, the hickey, and the mark on your face all came from a stalker?" _He's lying to me._

"Yes," he said flatly, "it's from Namiko."

"What the hell?!" Jounouchi said, shocked. He let go of Seto and stood there with his mouth hanging open. It was almost cartoonish. "Are you telling me that that bitch is still around somewhere?" He pointed to the front door.

"She's here in Domino," he said, frowning deeply at the thought.

"Holy crap."

"And she…wants you…"

Jou gave him a narrow stare now. "Yeah, well, from looking at your face and neck, I'd say she went for you first," Jounouchi shot back with jealousy. His arms were folded against his chest defiantly.

"You done?" Seto said in a flat tone. Eyes looking dully ahead.

"Sorry," Jou replied with an angry edge and ran his fingers through his hair, "I promised I'd listen. It's just that…"

Seto tried to ignore the jealous remark with an impatient wave of his hand. At least, Jounouchi was listening now. Maybe, just maybe, he could blurt the rest out before Jou stopped him again.

"She got into my office today, sprayed perfume in my eyes, and bound me to the chair," he said, showing the red marks on his wrists. In his mind, he could see himself breaking the right arm of the chair, grabbing the key, and unlocking himself from the cuffs once Namiko had gone. "She gagged me, too." It dawned on Seto that he still had the gag. He pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to Jou. Jounouchi glared at the piece of cloth, holding it with two fingers as though contaminated.

"Then," Seto continued, "she put this mark on my neck to cause trouble—though, she said it was a reminder that we 'talked'." He touched the scratch. He felt a little sick before adding, "She also wiped the blood off of my face and licked it."

"Okay, that's just sick," Jounouchi complained. "But it sounds like her…" He dropped the gag to the floor.

"And," Seto said blue eyes flashing at Jounouchi, "I'm _furious_ with you right now!" His fists were balled up, and he was leaning in Jou's direction.

Jounouchi glared back at him, suddenly hurt. His jaw was set. _What's this asshole's problem now?_

"I truly thought you'd hear me out before leaving me again. You're good at walking away, Jou! It's almost like you're looking for an excuse." Wrathful blue eyes stared down into hazel. "Do you want to be with me or not? I've asked that question before."

Jounouchi's eyes showed a mixture of anger and guilt. In his heart, Jounouchi knew everything that he did was what he truly thought and believed. Now, because of it, he felt backed into a corner, too.

"It seemed like it was over." One eye had a large tear in it at the thought. "I was letting you go. I told you I would…when the time came."

"No! You didn't answer my question, Mutt." Seto scowled with arms crossed defiantly because some part of him was begging to dope slap Jou.

"I dunno…I…" Jou wiped his eye. "Mutt? Yeah, go ahead and call me that… You know, I don't even feel like calling you 'Moneybags' or anything…" Hazel eyes looked far away. Some part of him wished that he could be anywhere else.

"You don't know if you want to be with me? Or, is it that you don't know how to answer that?"

"You're just being an ass," Jounouchi said lamely, stepping away from Seto's burning glare. _Maybe, I should just go back to the house…let things cool down…for a few days._

Seto tilted his head to one side and stared at Jou hawkishly. His eyes narrowed to thin slits. "I think you want to leave me… before I leave you," Seto said evenly.

Jounouchi shrugged and looked away. "I don't wanna talk about this…"

_I'm right, aren't I?_ he thought. Seto took a deep breath and let it out slowly. _Here we go again…_ He reached a hand out to Jounouchi—who was giving him a side-long glance, jaw set. Jounouchi flinched when he saw the hand coming, and that hurt Seto more than anything that Jou could have said back to him.

"If we're going to stay together," Seto said, placing both hands gently against Jounouchi's face now and lifting it up toward him, "I need to know that you'll hear me out first, no matter how painful it is."

Jounouchi gave an awkward shrug as an answer. "Okay," Jounouchi said as a sigh and pulled away, rubbing the red scuff mark his face. "But, you know, you slap pretty damn hard. I'm still stinging." He pressed a palm against his warm cheek, eyes quenched tight, but chuckled a little, too. "You've got a good right arm. I forgot that. You know, I watched you hit a home run once last year." There was a hint of admiration there.

"Yes, I do."

Suddenly, Jou felt an arm wrap around his waist, pulling him in. The hand wandered. Then, the hand pressed against his lower back and another supported the upper—stroking it very softly.

"Gomen na." Seto leaned down and kissed the side of Jou's cheek.

"I wish I could feel that. I really do," Jou said with a slight smile. "But, thanks for apologizing." Jou laced his fingers around Seto's neck. "And I really need to do that to you as well." He stroked chestnut hair and said softly, "Sorry, Seto." After a warm hug, Seto let go of him. Jou ruffled his own hair for a second and said, "But there's someone more important than Namiko that we have to deal with right now."

"Really…?"

Jou gave him a serious look. "I think we need to tell Mokuba that there's still three of us."

Seto gave back the trademark smirk, arms crossed. "Three, huh?"

"If you'll have me…" Jounouchi said almost shyly.

"Let's go upstairs and tell him," Seto agreed.

They went down a hallway and then walked up the flight of stairs together. They heard the sound of crying on the other side of the first door.

"Poor kid," Jou said with regret. "We've made his life hard again. The way my parents argued…how upset I was as a kid…before they got the divorce, I mean. I remember promising myself that, when I grew up, I'd never do that to anybody else."

Seto knocked. "Mokuba? We need to talk."

Jounouchi frowned. "You know, Seto, that line was what got me upset in the first place."

"Well, at least, you're calling me by the right name again."

"Just don't scare me like that, and I'll be fine."

"Oh, so it's my fault that you two jumped to a conclusion."

"Well, look at the facts, Seto. Look at the facts: your face and your neck and you stink like perfume! And I'm making you take a bath when we're done here."

"You should have let me talk." Then, he lowered his voice saying, "And, if I'm taking a bath, you'll have to scrub my back."

"Okay, I'll do that," he murmured. "But, you could have given some warning," Jou continued with a louder voice.

"I did give you a warning. I called, didn't I?"

"As if!"

The door opened to a tear-stained but curious Mokuba.

"Is it okay again?" Mokuba asked Jounouchi. Seto grimaced a little that it was Jou who was asked the question.

"Yeah, it is." Hazel eyes smiled.

Mokuba seemed relieved more than anything. Some sort of miracle had happened downstairs, and he felt truly grateful. Yes, they were bickering, as usual, but it was kind, too. He made a mental note to kick Nii-sama in the butt later on tonight if he got the chance and could get away with it.

Mokuba looked up at them happily. "Shut up and kiss, why don't you?" he laughed.

Jounouchi laughed back and Seto wore a thin smile. Jounouchi winked at Seto and then kissed…Mokuba on the head.

"That's not what I meant!" the raven-haired child griped, wiping invisible Jounouchi-nii cooties out of his hair.

"You should be more specific next time," Seto complained, needling him and clearly enjoying it. "You got what you asked for."

The child looked up at his brother who, now, had an arm draped around Jounouchi's shoulders, his head leaning against Jou's.

"Yeah," Mokuba agreed, "I got what I wanted."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Right, Yuge," Jounouchi said into his cell phone and stifled a yawn. Jounouchi was sitting in the middle of the sleigh bed, Indian style. He was wearing the black pajamas that Seto had given him, buttoning up the last two buttons with one hand. "Yeah, I know what ya mean," Jou said, listening to Yugi's voice and letting his eyes drift around the room. Then, he saw the small, silver clock on the nightstand. It said 10:10 PM.

Seto was brushing his teeth and casually leaning against the doorframe of the master bath. He was curious but was also trying to hide it behind his usual mask of indifference.

"Yeah, well, I knew about all of those fake cards floating around Domino."

Seto blinked back. _Namiko mentioned cards. What if…?_

"So, what did your grandpa say? I see… Okay, well, it might take another day or two for him to look into it. That's reasonable." Jounouchi stretched in the bed and switched—putting the phone to his left ear and biting on a hangnail on his right hand.

_He bites his nails. Ugh! That's revolting. Where does he think the dirt under his nails goes when he bites them?_ Seto grimaced and brushed his teeth a little harder_. Come to think of it, I kiss that mouth…_ He brushed a little longer.

"Well, at least your grandpa will be at that convention. So, he can ask around about the card that you found. Cool, huh?" A toothy grin followed.

_Jounouchi seems happy enough… Maybe, he's too happy? Is there something…wrong?_

Seto watched his puppy's face. Blond hair brushed against his eyes and he pulled some of it behind his ear as he listened to Yugi's voice. He leaned back into the bed, chin up, and laughed at an inside joke. For a second, Seto felt a slight stab at Yugi. Jounouchi and Yugi—the two of them—were close. Very close. Seto knew he never really felt that connection with anybody else—not that he never had the chance at school or work. He just never thought it was important. No, that wasn't entirely true. It wasn't as simple as that. People sucked up to him all the time: bowed to him, demanded his attention, and hung on his every word in meetings just to get favors. School was no different, really. And his fangirls were so transparent. Jou was different, though. And his friendship with Yugi was real—rare.

"Eh? What'd you say? Where am I now?" Jounouchi sat up in the bed suddenly, wide eyed. "You worry about me too much, you know. Where, huh? Ummm…well… You know, it's like this…" There was a nervous laugh.

Seto raised an amused eyebrow. He brushed his teeth a little more slowly this time—even though they were totally clean_. Can you even answer that question? Hmmm…_ Watching Jou squirm was fun sometimes. _You are such a puppy._

"I'm going to stay over here tonight…"

Seto's face looked mildly impressed.

"…with Seto…"

Seto blinked back. _He said it._

"Yes, I said 'Seto'. That was his name the last time I checked." Jounouchi looked over to his chestnut haired companion with the toothbrush dangling in his mouth in surprise. Jounouchi saw and smirked to himself before continuing. "Though, don't quote me on it. I haven't seen his birth certificate. We're close, but we're not that close…yet." He laughed in that boyish way that he always did with Yugi. "Yeah, I know I tell bad jokes. So, I'll see ya at school tomorrow, Yugi. Bye."

Seto had disappeared from the doorway. Jounouchi stretched out on the bed again and watched the ceiling with an arm folded behind his head.

"Are you coming to bed or not?" Jounouchi called.

Seto felt his heart jump at the question. He wasn't used to someone actually waiting on him to come to bed.

"Did ya like me scrubbing your back in the bath?" Jou called to him, fishing for a complement. His voice had a dark, sexy tone to it, too.

"Yes, it was adequate."

"What? Adequate? I did a good job—very thorough." He smiled at the thought. Kaiba Seto was definitely a tall, well built guy in all the right places. Tight skin, firm muscles…and, yes, he took a peek down there, too. _Very nice._ Scrubbing Seto's back, alone, was a major turn on. Jou was glad that he was behind Seto the whole time with the soap because the blush on his face was dark red. He could feel it. And being a good boy was hard…very hard.

Jounouchi's thoughts drifted away when his eyes caught his blue school uniform on the chair. He frowned at it. _Later…much later… Tonight, I'm going to be happy._

Seto laughed a little with an echo. "You will have to do it a few more times before I can make a firm decision on that."

"I see…well… You could have asked me to join you," Jou hinted. "It's a big bath, ya know."

There was an awkward silence for Seto. In blue pajamas, he walked out of the bathroom, flicking off the bathroom light as he left, and crawled in next to Jou. But, instead of cuddling him, as Jou had hoped, his bed partner stared up at the ceiling, too.

"There's something else I need to tell you…a couple of things, actually." He sighed impatiently.

"About Namiko?" Jounouchi asked with a stern tone. He felt like someone had splashed him with cold water.

"Yes," he said back, hoping this would not start an argument right before falling asleep.

Jounouchi shook his head "no." "Maybe, later. I really don't want to talk about her. In fact, I really don't want to talk about anything…"

Seto shifted his body in the bed and gave Jou a sharp, sidelong glance. Without even needing to look, Jou could feel the stare burning into him.

"So, if something's bothering me, I can't talk about it with you? Fine, then." _Oh, that will get him,_ Seto smirked inwardly. He went back to staring at the ceiling.

"Hell," Jou pushed his face into the feather down pillow and sighed impatiently to himself. "I just want to forget her for one night. Can't we just turn out the light and deal with everything in the morning?" Jou's voice was muffled by the pillow. Seto forced back a smirk. _Such a puppy…_ Then, Jou rolled over and looked at Seto with a sincere expression. He leaned his body against him and traced the curve of his face with one finger.

"Actually, I had something else in mind for tonight anyway," he said, leaning in for a kiss.

_Puppy,_ _I had guessed that when you were washing my back._

Calm blue eyes stared at hazel. Their lips almost touched when Seto said, "That's what Namiko told me to do with you."

"Eh?" Jounouchi said, sitting up in the bed. "You have got to be kidding me!"

"No, it's true," Seto said, rolling over on his side and watching the blond's face turn colors. "She told me to have sex with you one last time—a kind of farewell to you, I guess—before she had a turn at you."

"She really knows how to kill the mood. And, honestly, there can't be a _last time_ if there hasn't been a _first time_," Jou complained, putting a fist into his pillow in frustration. He had really intended it to be more of a "fluff" than a "fist." But the fist part felt right.

"Technically, a _first_ can also be a _last_," Seto murmured and got an annoyed look from his bed partner. Seto kept watching Jou's profile and some part of him laughed inwardly at it. As worried as he was about Jou's safety, this reaction to the situation was cute. He just couldn't deny it. And it stroked his ego.

"Aw, is my little puppy frustrated?" Seto joked.

"That's not funny," he fumed back.

"But is it true, Pup?" He leaned in close to Jounouchi—feeling soft, blond hair slipping through his fingers. Seto wondered just how far he could take this. He traced the outline of Jou's lips with an index finger. It felt like a shimmer.

"You really know how to make me mad with the dog jokes," Jou said, reaching up to touch Seto's face in return. But, Seto caught his puppy's wrist and gently lowered it.

_Mad? You don't seem mad_, he thought to himself. "You didn't answer me." Seto let go of the wrist and laced fingers with the hand.

"I know," Jou sighed. "But I also don't want to do… something…just because…Namiko wants me to. Does that make any sense?"

"It does," Seto said, pulling Jounouchi closer to him. The blond slid across the satin sheets easily.

Seto leaned across Jounouchi's chest. His arms were folded on top and he rested his chin down on them. Jou could see blue eyes staring into him. "But, you never answered my question," he whispered. "Are you frustrated?"

"You forgot the 'pup' part," Jounouchi smirked back. "I remember when you used to call me 'dog' when we dueled. Is it that you don't want the dishonor of sleeping with a dog, so I'm a 'puppy' now?"

That hurt Seto because Namiko had said almost the same thing. It just wasn't so. And, suddenly, he didn't feel playful with Jounouchi. While it was true that he did, in the past, call Jou names, he preferred to think of Jounouchi in softer ways now. And "dishonor" was really too harsh of a word to use.

"Is that what you believe?" Anger was etching into his voice.

_Oh, hell. We're going to get into another argument. Let's avoid this one_, he thought. "No," Jou said quietly, "but my family isn't exactly wealthy and that's the life I come from. I dunno… Maybe 'Mutt' really does fit me after all." _I can't believe I just said that. The things I'll do to avoid a fight…Ugh! _Jou's eyes caught the blue school uniform_. No, honestly, it's not just him. I'm getting into a dark mood. I'll try to fight it, though._

Blue eyes narrowed. "There's no part of you that likes being called 'Mutt' and you know it. How many times have you told me?"

Jou looked thoughtful and traced the curve of Seto's ear with his finger and toyed with chestnut hair. "I guess, names don't really matter to me anyway. I'll be your 'Jounouchi,' or 'Jou,' or 'Mutt,' or "Pup,'---if that makes you happy. I'll accept it and…you."

Jounouchi kissed his index finger and pressed it to Seto's lips. He kissed it back. "As long as it's kind, I think my heart would answer to any name you give me." Jounouchi used a very humble form of Japanese when he said it, and Seto found his heart softening a little at that. "I think you forgot 'Katsuya,' you know," Seto added. He smiled a little when he felt Jou's arms wrapping around him and resting on his back.

"To be honest, I never really liked that name very much. It's what my father calls me." He was a little ashamed at himself for sounding so serious a minute ago, and stroked Seto's cheek with his thumb. "Call me that if you want to. But, I'll just feel like I'm at work, serving coffee." Jou smiled a little at the thought. "You know, for some reason, when I first met Yuna-chan while waiting for my job interview, she started calling me 'Katsuya-kun.' Before I knew it, I had the job and everyone over there started calling me that, too."

"Once you got the job, why didn't you tell her not to?" Seto said with a curious tone. "You're not exactly the shy type."

Jounouchi shrugged a little. "I guess…I never knew my name could sound so…I dunno…_good_…when she said it."

Seto felt another pang of jealousy but hid it inside. The feeling melted away when Jou stroked his cheek again.

"I don't miss my sister so much when Yuna-chan says my name," Jou said and felt tears coming. He blinked them away. "Every single day, you have Mokuba. And, maybe, I'm a bit jealous of that, too."

There was a soft blush on Jou's face now.

Seto let his head fall a little on Jounouchi's chest. He'd been a fool to be jealous of Yuna as well as Yugi.

"Well, you can borrow Mokuba whenever you like," Seto said quietly. "Just a warning, though… He can be a real pain."

"Just like you," Jounouchi joked. "And, ummm…Seto…?"

"Yes?"

"I really am frustrated," he laughed, his face turning pinkish at the confession.

Seto leaned forward, placed his lips on Jou's, and kissed him softly. There wasn't an ounce of passion in it, only comfort.

"Do you want to know a secret?" Seto asked.

"Sure." It came as almost a sigh.

"I am, as well," Seto said, wrapped the blond in his arms, and closed his eyes. "But having you in our bed tonight is enough for me."

"Yeah, I love you, too—Seto."

* * *


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Jounouchi woke up before the alarm, stretched a little in the satin sheets, and draped an arm across his bed partner.

_When we first met and argued so much, I never would have guessed that we'd have ended up like this—together. I'll accept this happiness for as long as it lasts._

Seto's face was totally peaceful, body relaxed in the bed with his chest slowly rising and falling. They had slept together with Jou resting his head on Seto's shoulder and their legs tangled together. Even now, Jounouchi's body was pressed against the length of Seto's side, an arm draped low across Seto's waist. Jou kissed his neck. It had stubble. _He needs a shave_, Jou thought with a thin smile.

On top of his end table, Jou found his cell phone, and turned off the alarm. Jou's eyes glanced over to the silver clock on Seto's end table. That alarm wouldn't go off for another thirty minutes.

Hazel eyes drifted back to Seto. This was supposed to be their morning after—a time of intimate embraces after having their passionate fill of each other the night before. It wasn't. The pessimist in him wasn't surprised, either.

"Anyway, sleep well, Seto." Kiss.

Jounouchi eased himself out of bed and found his blue school uniform on the chair. Seto had left it there the night before with a scowl on his face. He had wanted Jou to start bringing more of his things over to the mansion—including clothes—instead of making so many trips back to the house. Jou flatly refused. It would be like moving in, and he didn't want to consider that until after graduation. Seto persisted, and Jou used phoning Yugi as an excuse to not discuss it further.

Jounouchi stretched again, fists rising into the air. He unbuttoned the top to his pajamas and began leaving a trail of clothes to the bathroom. The light flicked on and the glass shower door opened with a sharp snap. Jou walked back, totally naked, to get his uniform and to bring it into the master bathroom with him. He slung it over one shoulder and retreated to the sound of the shower spray heating up.

Jounouchi had spent the night at Seto's before and knew how to pack. Each time Jou brought over his school uniform, he'd remember to put an extra pair of socks and underwear in each pocket. Then, he'd be all set to get dressed for school the next day. The very idea of borrowing any of Seto's clothes—intimate or not—felt wrong.

Blue eyes watched Jou's handsome silhouette from the bed. He smirked to himself. The view was good—really _good_. This morning, it was worth waking up early. Seto pushed his pillow off the bed and grabbed Jou's. He placed the sandalwood scented pillow under his own head and pulled the satin sheets around himself. Blue eyes closed.

Forty-five minutes later, Jou was at the front door—having another pointless debate with Mokuba. Seto looked on.

"Why can't you two just go to school in the limo _together_?" Mokuba demanded. "Just tell people that you're 'friends.' And it will be okay." He used sweeping gestures to emphasize his point. Seto frowned at that.

At the word "together," Jounouchi's eyes had a spark of fear in them. Seto's "fangirls" would notice right away and would hound him all day long wanting to know what's up. Rumors would start. Some of the high school students had parents or other relatives who worked at Kaiba Corp. More rumors. The press. TV. Newspapers. Internet. Seto's life would get difficult pretty quickly. Maybe, he'd be seen as a weak or ineffective CEO. _No way in hell_. Jounouchi wouldn't consider it. He just couldn't. Plus, Jou had too many problems of his own right now. He wasn't going to add to Seto's problems, too.

The blond looked down at his school uniform—perfect. Not a wrinkle. Blue. Really blue. Today, he hated it. His eyes frowned.

It suddenly dawned on Jou that he was spacing out and missing everything else that Mokuba was prattling on about. Yes, he was spacing out, but he knew why. Seto was watching his face quietly while sipping from a white china cup. Jou could see that, too. Blue dragon eyes narrowed when he spoke again.

"I'll go first," Jou said seriously, glancing at Seto in his silk bathrobe with a Chinese dragon on it. Briefly, he noticed that it wasn't one of the matching robes that Seto had bought to go with their pajamas. Why did that hurt a little? He wasn't sure. "I'll send the limo back for you."

Seto nodded. "Acceptable."

"Acceptable? Wha-? But, Nii-sama?!"

One look from Seto quieted the thirteen year old. The child sighed impatiently and stomped back to the dining table to finish his natto.

"Sorry," Jou murmured, watching Mokuba go. _This day is turning to crap more and more by the minute_. Then, Jou picked up his school things.

"I'll see you at school," Seto said in a serious tone. He moved away, but then turned back from the door.

"Ummm…Seto?"

"Yes?" He stopped and looked out of the corner of his eye. _Go ahead. Tell me. Say it._

"I-It's nothing," Jou sighed with a shake of the head "no." "I'll see you at school." His tone sounded defeated.

_I hate it when you lie to me,_ Seto thought and found himself grinding his teeth a little.

Jounouchi omitted the usual "itekimas" ("Goodbye" / "I'm going to go and come back later.") and simply walked away toward the waiting limo. He had plans on making it drop him off two blocks from Domino High so that no one would notice.

The door was closed. Seto looked at it for a moment longer. _Damn. He didn't say anything. That's not like him. _Seto decided to join Mokuba for breakfast—which was usually a large coffee and toast—before getting dressed.

"I made him mad, huh?" Mokuba said evenly, shoveling natto and steamed rice into his mouth distractedly with his chopsticks. The long, formal dining table with all of the place settings dwarfed the child. Usually, he just sat somewhere in the middle and picked at his food. But, today, he was feeling upset and eating was a good distraction. He poured on more soy sauce.

"No," Seto said, "but something is bothering him—more than what's going on right now. He seemed too cheerful last night, too."

"Cheerful, huh?" Mokuba wiggled an eyebrow at him. "Did the two of you…fight and then…make up?" He tried to hide a grin with cheeks stuffed full of sticky natto. _I would totally buy that one because you're sharing the same bedroom now_, he thought happily.

Seto ignored Mokuba, taking a large sip of coffee and walking with his cup toward the table. He took his place next to his little brother—who handed him the business section of the newspaper.

"Something isn't right. I'll get him to tell me before I have to leave for work today."

"If anyone can do it, you can," the child grinned a "natto grin" before adding "Nii-sama" with an overflowing mouth.

Seto grimaced at him. "You know, you really need to stop using Jounouchi as a role model. Your table manners are getting atrocious."

"I'm so glad!"

* * *

Jounouchi was sitting quietly at his seat before Japanese Classics started. It was unusual for him to be early, but he managed it. After this, there was only one more period to go. Then, he'd be free. He planned on sneaking away and spending time alone in the park. Some part of him knew that Seto wouldn't approve. He'd be by himself—vulnerable. But, it really was a safe place, and he could think about things. 

Jou had been intentionally avoiding Seto, Yugi, Anzu, and Honda all day. It had been hard to do because he wasn't mad at them, exactly. He just wasn't in the mood to talk to them. Last night, he'd forced himself to be happy and feel it—only to be deeply disappointed by having another annoying talk about Namiko and what she wanted to do to him. Yes, he understood that he was in danger…well…sort of. He hadn't actually seen Namiko the way Seto did. In fact, he didn't want to picture in his head the way his love had met up with that bitch…who had sex with him…maybe a few times…and not that long ago, really.

He wanted to beat his head on his desk.

_And, along those lines, one of the few good things about "neatnik" Seto is that he used protection. _Jounouchi could see himself in Seto's closet—hanging up his school uniform. He accidentally bumped into a suitcase and Seto's secret stash fell out. It was the same small suitcase Seto took with him to the Golden Dragon Hell in Beppu…_ So, he used protection with her. That's one less worry._

He folded his arms on his desk and hid his face.

_Maybe that's why, for the past few nights, my uniform stays on Seto's chair instead. And, yes, Seto noticed the difference…right away. I couldn't tell him why… No, I just didn't want to. He thinks I'm a slob, but I'm really an idiot…a jealous idiot…that's all… It's not like he bought that stuff from the store to be with me. Jealous again… Yup, I'm an idiot._

He could feel himself getting mad again—dark.

_But still…how dare she lay one lip on Seto?! He belongs to me now._

Jou could feel his darkness spreading. Everybody wanted something from him. Seto had wanted him to bring his clothes over and make a subtle commitment to being together before graduation. But, they had agreed on graduation! Mokuba wanted him to take the step of letting people know that Seto "the-cold-hearted" and Jounouchi "the-dumb-mutt" didn't hate each other after all. Usually, he'd dismiss these and move on in his usual way. But, after what happened late yesterday, while picking up his school uniform—

_Is this uniform cursed? Hell, right now, there's nothing happy about it_, he seethed quietly.

_And, then, there's Seto…_ Jou really didn't feel like using the energy necessary to hide his feelings. And, he knew that Seto could see right through him this morning. He was waiting for his "puppy" to bring the subject up. Jou blinked at the stupid thought. Besides, the day was almost over, and he had the day off from both jobs. More than anything, Jounouchi needed to think.

"Hey, Jounouchi!" Yugi said, entering the room and looking happy to see his friend. He put a stack of books on his desk.

"Hi!" Anzu said, grinning at him. "Where have you been? We were waiting on you at lunch."

Jounouchi forced a smile on his face that he didn't really feel. _Oh, man. I hate telling lies to my friends… Here we go._ "Oh, Coach Yamaguchi wanted to talk to me about my 'attitude'—again."

"Oh, sorry about that," Yugi said, frowning slightly. "I'm not in that class with you. Or, I would have known."

"It's no big deal," Jou said lazily, folding his arms behind his head with a "devil may care" attitude" and felt the glimmer of a smile inwardly at Yugi's amused look.

Seto entered the class with his books and laptop case. He saw Jounouchi sitting at this desk, forced a mask of indifference on his face, and took the seat behind him. With a set face, he opened the top book, took out a folded piece of paper, and put it on his own desk. Seto tugged at Jou's elbow, getting his attention, and slipped the piece of paper to him.

The note read:

"_What's wrong with you? You left both classes that we have together before I could talk to you, and you didn't show up at lunch."_

The note was signed _"Mutt Master."_

Jounouchi arched an eyebrow at the name. He felt his face twitch. Seto saw. He liked that at least he got a reaction.

Jounouchi pulled out a dull, stubby pencil and wrote back on the same note:

"_I can't talk about it right now. Too many people. Okay?"_

_Signed,_

_Mutt-without-a-leash_

Seto's eyes narrowed at the "without-a-leash" part.

Jou could hear the pen behind him writing down a message in Seto's beautiful, "one step away from calligraphy style" in blue ink. Jou rolled his eyes to the heavens. This only made his mood darker.

"_Do you think I'm trying to put a __leash__ on you? Is that your problem?"_

This time, there was no signature.

Jounouchi sighed to himself before writing.

"_It's not my problem, and you know it. You saw what I was like this morning. But, honestly, would you really want me to have a 'master?'"_

Jounouchi drew a perfect little 3D heart ripped in two. But, he thought the better of it and erased it—leaving a brown smudge in its place. He signed it "Jou." He crushed the paper into a ball. The note game was over.

Seto found a small paper ball being forced into his hand under his desk. He looked around before opening it. Identical twin girls, the Nogi sisters, were now watching Jou and openly whispering back and forth with a slight hissing sound. Seto shot them a stern look and they stopped. Other than that, the people around him were still opening bookbags and visiting with each other. No one would notice.

Seto opened the ball and read the note right down to the signature. Fury building, he was tempted to take Jou by the wrist and pull him outside—to demand answers quickly. But, this would be the worst thing he could do, and his puppy would hate him for causing a scene in public. Jounouchi, like many Japanese, embarrassed easily.

"Okay, class! Class!" Hosokawa Sensei said, clapping her hands politely to get everyone's attention. She looked at Jou for a second and was surprised to see him paying attention. She decided to strike while the iron was hot. She was uncertain how long his attention span would hold out.

"Today, we are studying Kusunoki Masatsura-sama's final poem. And here it is." Her eyes practically glowed at the prospect. She pulled on the world map. It coiled up revealing a poem written in chalk on the blackboard. Luckily, today, her handwriting was half way legible. So, everyone could read it.

_帰へらじと __  
__兼ねて思へば __  
__梓弓 __  
__亡き数に入る __  
__名をぞとどむる _

"I have a feeling  
I will not be returning,  
so among the names  
of those who died by the bow  
I inscribe my own." 

The class looked at it with glazed-over expressions. Classes after lunch were like that. The poem was written in that artsy, classic, old-fashioned samurai way of phrasing things. Some of the guys yawned. Another poem… "Yeah," one student whispered within Seto's earshot, "just what every guy wants to do—read another dull poem. I'm bored."

"So, just what does this mean?" The teacher looked bright-eyed and hopeful. Maybe someone would actually participate today.

Jounouchi's hand shot straight into the air. He was in a dark mood, still, and didn't want to be called on in class. He'd just say what he thought, get it over with, and let the idiot teacher pick on, or maybe "torment" would be a better word, someone else who refused to participate. This old time literature had no relevance to their lives anyway.

The sensei's mouth dropped open a little. Jou looked mad but was eager to work with her. Maybe he was embarrassed or thought his friends would laugh at him. "Jounouchi-kun? Ummm…I suppose samurai poetry is an interest?"

Jou shrugged a kind of "yes"—which was a lie but it gave him something to do. The rest of the class gawked.

_Hell, I don't know what I'm going to say. But, I guess…all poems are about "death" anyway. I'll just BS her as long as I can and make stuff up._

"It's about death," he said plainly.

The teacher's eyes popped open a little.

"Well, 'not be returning' is a kind of death because people can't go back to what they were. Death of the old life." The anger faded from Jou's face after saying it. "But, you see, he also knows that he's on a one way mission."

Jou thought about himself. He couldn't go back to what he was, either. Did he even want to try? No, he'd keep moving forward—even if it was a one way mission for him, too.

"And, at the end, he sees himself among the dead. But they're not nameless dead like we think of on the battlefield. Get it? They all had families. And he was a person when he was alive—a person with a name. He was important. So, among the names of those who died, he writes his own name down—like a list. That's because he's one of them—with them—a team—he's not alone."

_Everyone will lose each other eventually. But, Namiko wants me dead. Not long ago, I wanted to die in my lover's arms. To see his face one last time and accept the darkness that comes. But, it's too dangerous now. I can't risk it. If I'm lucky—really lucky—I'll die alone and watch over Seto. I'll be with his ancestors and protect him. Yes, him…and…and whatever lover he chooses to take my place. _

The teacher's eyes widened, which didn't seem possible to Jou. But it did happen.

_But, I'm scared, too… I've always been afraid of "goodbye" deep down—but, no guy should ever admit that._

"That's…insightful…Jounouchi-kun." She squeaked the words out.

"I seem to remember something about an arrow and a door."

The sensei folded her arms on her flat chest. Here was her shot to lead the class again. This was why she became a teacher. "Well, twenty-two year old Kusunoki Masatsura's final poem was written on a temple door with an arrowhead just before going into battle."

_Oh, yeah…that was in the book. I'm sure I'd read that poem before, too, last year._ Jou nodded briefly, pretended to take notes, and scribbled puppies—all peeing on trees—on his notebook paper for the rest of the hour. And, he was right, the teacher focused on the bored guys in the back of the class for the rest of the lesson. Time dragged.

"We need to talk," Seto whispered, leaning forward. His hand touched Jou's back warmly as he spoke.

Jou turned his head casually in Seto's direction. "I hate it when you say that."

"I want to talk to you after class. I'm worried." There was an angry edge to Seto's whisper when he had to rephrase it. "What is it with you today? Death poetry?" He hated being left in the dark about things. He'd make Jou confess everything and, then, he'd fix the problem. That was the Kaiba Seto way of doing things.

"Worried? Don't be. I actually studied for once, okay? Meet me at my locker," Jou said and glimpsed a satisfied look on Seto's face.

"Oh, yes," Seto said, "there's something I need to tell you as well."

Jou nodded, but his mind was wandering again.

* * *


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The ringing bell shocked Jou a little. His mind snapped back to the problem at hand. Now that Yugi and Anzu were here, they'd follow him to his locker—as usual. Anzu would prattle on about something that Yugi would be interested in, or feign interest in, because he liked her. It was cute the way he blushed when she brushed up against him. Though, in her case, it was a totally innocent action. Jou wanted his friends to be happy with each other. It gave him less to worry about. He wondered if he had the energy to fake being happy for one more period. Well, like it or not, he'd have to.

"You missed out on the 'mystery meat' today at lunch," Anzu chirped, watching Jou open his locker.

"Really?" Jou murmured and tried to busy himself with his things. "I thought today was 'ambush stew'—it attacks you when you least expect it."

"Oh, remember the tofu 'meatballs' that they tried to serve last term?" Anzu laughed.

"Yeah, the ones that I called 'cockroach cookies' and Honda threw up at the thought?" Jou had a smile on his face now, which surprised him.

Yugi smiled, too, looking around. The hallway was starting to clear. The next class was going to start soon and the classroom they were going to was not nearby. "Don't you think we should get going, Jounouchi-kun?"

"Ummm….I guess…" He looked around for Seto. He was nowhere to be found. _I guess he went to the toilet or something. Oh, well…_

They started walking to class.

The south end of the hallway was empty. Kaiba Seto, with his books and laptop case in hand, went storming around the corner. He was heading north, looking fierce. Even his fangirls were scurrying to get out of his way. A totally pissed Kaiba-kun was no one to toy with. There was a parting of the blue sea of school uniforms.

_I know what I saw. Hell! _

He gritted his teeth. His eyes scanned the hallway with malevolence. At the far end, Seto could see Jou, Anzu, and Yugi walking toward him. His eyes also caught Honda, looking guilty, sneaking off to get away from everyone.

In the middle of the hallway, Seto saw the doorway and the sign indicating that this was the teacher's lounge and office space.

There was a photocopier toolkit and a denim uniformed person in a baseball cap bent over and reaching down to tie a shoelace.

Seto stopped.

Namiko looked up, pulled the material away from her leg to show the dagger, and smiled at him. She had on blood red lipstick today. She blew him a kiss.

Seto's eyes snapped to the little group walking up behind Namiko. All color drained from him. Without turning around, she knew who was coming. She could hear's Mutt's voice and Yugi's, too. They were laughing boyishly. Slowly, Namiko stood up with the black, rectangular toolkit blocking the dagger in her right hand.

Namiko's eyes challenged. _Can you stop me? _

Seto dropped his books and laptop. He never heard the sound of them hitting the floor. It didn't matter. It was hard to breathe. His heart was beating fast. The sound of his own blood was rushing through his ears.

Jou stopped in his tracks. _Seto? What's wrong with Seto? Oh, hell! Is he sick?_ Jou walked further—faster—jogging in the hall now, leaving his friends behind. Then, he caught Seto shaking his head "no." Jou stopped again.

"What's wrong?" Jou mouthed the words. His eyes were wide, head cocked to one side.

Yugi and Anzu gaped at them.

Two of Seto's fangirls saw an opportunity and ran over to help Seto with his things. Up close, they could see he was shaking, his hands balled up into fists.

"Kaiba…kun?" one said cautiously, looking up at him with concern as the tardy bell rang.

Seto gritted his teeth and took off at a run.

Seto's speed was picking up, sprinting down the hallway. Body hard, arms pumping. The fangirls were impressed, hands clasped together in admiration, and Jou was terrified. Seto was running at him—directly at him—with fury on his face. Jounouchi cringed, looking away. _What have I done?!_

Namiko stepped nimbly into the teacher's lounge, laughing at him. Seto, running harder than before, made a left turn in the hallway and burst through the doors to the lounge.

Anzu, Jounouchi, and Yugi looked at each other and followed as quickly as they could. But their speed was nothing compared to Seto's. They ran hard anyway.

When they got through the door, they could see an open window next to the copier. Namiko, in the repairman's uniform, kicked Seto in the right thigh on the inside, hoping to knock him down. He staggered and almost fell. _A pressure point!_ He gritted his teeth.

Namiko had the dagger out and was making short, slashing movements at Seto. Then, it seemed as though the weapon had disappeared. Her hands were quick. Brownish-black bangs were in her face as she grinned. Her body moved with a fluid motion.

Seto's cheek was bleeding and he already had slashes cut into his blue jacket, too.

"You bitch!" Seto yelled.

Seto made several attempts to hit Namiko with a doubled up fist, but she easily evaded each swing. She tripped him.

"Oh, please… You'll only excite me more when you call me names," she said, amused. "And _I love it _when you bleed."

Seto forced his body to stand, gulping air. Namiko turned and elbowed him. His body fell backward onto a physics teacher's desk—sending graded "F" papers flying. He clutched the sore spot on the lower front of the ribs.

_She went for the Solar Plexus_, Seto thought heatedly.

He was on the desk—on his back. His body exposed, vulnerable. Namiko moved in to deliver a blow just below the navel, but Seto rolled off in time. Sweating profusely, he came around the desk and made another swing at her. And her dark eyes glanced at the trio by door.

"I knew if I played with you enough, he'd come, too." Her eyes moved to Jounouchi. The blond hair had attracted her attention. "Hi ya, Mutt. How's it in the sack with Kaiba-sama? Has he shown you his favorite positions yet? I know what they are."

Yugi and Anzu blushed, looking at each other with wide eyes.

_That bitch!_ Seto could feel his own face turning red, too. He told himself that it was just due to the ass kicking that Namiko deserved.

The door started to open. Seto's fangirls tried to peek in, but Anzu shut the door and locked it.

Namiko ducked another blow and sent a kick at Seto. He dodged it.

Jounouchi approached with fists raised. More than anything, he wanted to be by Seto's side, to fight alongside him.

"How did you get this far?" Jou demanded.

"Schools are easy, dumb Mutt." She tugged at her uniform's fake ID badge. "Do you really think you're safe at school?" Another swing with the blade. "You Japanese have this fantasy that you live in total safety. Your military is weak, and your guard is down."

She faked a move at Seto and sent a kick at Jounouchi instead. It connected. Jou fell back to the floor. Namiko slashed at Seto with an upswing—making him back off a pace. Then, grinning broadly, she grabbed a ream of goldenrod copy paper—throwing it at Anzu.

"Get her out of here!" Jou shouted at Yugi. "Next time could be a knife!"

Yugi nodded, grabbed a protesting Anzu by the wrist, and shoved her out the door. "Forgive me," he said through the door. He locked it.

Anzu was banging on the other side, shouting "No! Stop!" The sounds of Seto's fangirls laughing at her didn't help.

"There's a lot more of us than there are of you," Yugi shouted, pointing in her direction. "Give up! You can't win, Namiko."

Namiko reached down into the toolkit, grabbed a container of black toner powder and sent a dark, staining cloud flying at Yugi followed by alligator forceps thrown with force. Luckily for Yugi, he was hit in the chest with the rounded end, not the pointed as she had intended. He fell to his knees gripping his chest. The blow still hurt like hell anyway.

"Weak," she laughed.

Jounouchi was on his feet again and Namiko, now, had a clear shot at him. He was no more than four feet in front of her now. His fists were up, face furious with a street fighter look. It was tempting—too tempting. She raised her arm with the dagger in hand. She was going to throw it. The blade flashed.

And Seto stepped between them.

"Do it," Seto challenged her. _If this ends here…and they can get away…_

"_Seto, no!"_ Jou growled back angrily. His hand was gripping Seto's forearm with force. Jou wouldn't allow Seto to be a shield.

Namiko laughed back. "I didn't come here to do that. I came here to _play_ with Mutt. Remember? I was getting…bored."

She slinked to the window, turned on her heel, and made a run for Seto—kicking him hard in the chest with precision. She had aimed for, and gotten, his right nipple. Seto's body twisted and then fell back onto Jounouchi. Both guys hit the floor hard.

"When I want Mutt dead, he will be."

In seconds, she was through the window and standing on the well manicured grounds outside. "Oh, and by the way…you're being watched. I thought you should know that." She giggled.

Jou and Seto were still sprawled out on the floor, and Seto was still breathing hard—a hand against his chest that moved with each gulp of air.

"Ugh! You're crushing me!" Jounouchi complained with Seto's long body on top of him and Jounouchi's own legs, for some reason, were spread wide apart. Jou had an up close and personal view of the back of Seto's head. Cool Water Deep wafted through his senses.

"Oh, suck it up, Mutt. It can't be that bad!" Seto growled at him with his head half turned back to glare at Jou.

"No, Seto," Jou said between gritted teeth with his eyes watering hard. "You…are…crush…ing…me…_down there_." He was hinting hard. He hoped that Seto would finally realize what was going on and do something about it--gingerly. No luck. "Look, Seto, if you _ever hope_ to have _a romantic_…"

_Oh…OH! __That's__ what he means._ "Fine! Okay! I get it!" he growled. Seto stood up.

"No, you won't be 'getting it'…ever…if I don't get some feeling back," Jou complained and tried to stand.

Yugi blushed, putting a hand to his head to hide it.

Seto, still clutching the place where Namiko had kicked his chest, managed the strength to stumble to the window.

Namiko was gone.

BANG! BANG!

"HEY! OPEN THIS DOOR!"

The banging was loud. It wasn't Anzu anymore. The door was being hit with fists, big ones.

"Oh, hell," Jounouchi said as Yugi went to open it.

Jounouchi allowed himself one last forlorn look up at Seto. Jou pulled forward the waistband on his trousers, reached in, and yanked out his shirt tail. He messed up his hair. Placing his left hand against his right cheek, he clawed himself on the face. Red lines showed up almost immediately.

Seto watched him, horrified.

"What is the meaning of all this?" Coach Yamaguchi, a rather rough looking and tall Japanese man in his early 40's, came storming in with one of the senseis who taught history. The history sensei, a small, bookish man with narrow glasses and a wide nose, sniffed at them with a disgusted, pinched-looking face.

Sounding out of breath, Jou approached the coach and the sensei shouting, "And if that jerk," he motioned to Seto, "says that I started it, he's lying!"

"Fighting in the teacher's lounge?" Coach Yamaguchi thundered. It was beyond belief.

"Yeah, well…" Jou's mind raced. "It'd be the last place you'd suspect since you're all teaching this period. And I'm not backing down to nobody." He walked awkwardly back to Yugi, slightly crouched over. He still didn't have much feeling below the belt buckle. What he did have was an uncomfortable "pins and needles" sensation sinking in. He forced himself to straighten up. His eyes watered.

"And why are you walking like that?" the coach demanded.

"It's no big."

"Well, it never will be if you don't get some feeling back," Seto quipped.

"Kaiba-kun? It's you?! You're the one he was fighting with?" Coach Yamaguchi complained, casting angry eyes at Seto, "I thought you were more mature than this!"

_Good plan, Jou. I'll play along._ "I'm eighteen," he said with a shrug. _And coach is such an idiot that he doesn't notice that my clothes have been slashed, not ripped. A total and complete baka._

"And, you?" the coach motioned to Yugi, "What do you have to do with this?" Yes, everyone was going to get into trouble today. "Which side were you on? Lemme guess…Jounouchi-kun's?"

"He tried to break up the fight," Jou grumbled with arms folded across his chest, "before anyone found out."

Yugi looked down at the floor. He didn't like being protected this way, but he wasn't in a position to stop them, either. He sighed with his arms folded, too. "Yup," he sighed.

"Okay, then" the little sensei said while pushing his glasses up on his nose, "I'm calling your parents!"

Seto smirked, cold eyes sparkled a little and Yugi almost jumped at it. "I can give you the phone numbers for the cemeteries where they are buried. Would that help?" Seto used the boastful male "ore" ("I") in Japanese to add emphasis.

Coach Yamaguchi cringed a little. He knew of Seto's past—both parents and an adoptive father all dead—but the bookish little sensei didn't and calling parents was usually the first step.

"Mine are divorced," Jou said, intentionally drawing the uncomfortable attention from Seto, "and my father is out of town."

_Hell, he's always "out of town,"_ Seto thought tartly.

Jou continued, "You could call my mother, though. But, after the divorce, she wasn't allowed to know anything about me…where I live…what I do… Not that she'd care. We don't get along, you see."

This time, Seto and Coach Yamaguchi both cringed a little. This was too much information. Seto's hard eyes drifted to Yugi. Yugi returned the stare with a nod and a kind of "that part is the truth" look in his violet eyes. Yugi looked back down. It felt like he was betraying Jou right in front of him.

The coach was nonplussed. What should he do next? Handling this situation now was going to take a delicate touch but would also have to follow the Domino High Student Handbook, too.

"Fine, then. You both have after school detentions for a week. And…" he thought about it, "you'll be eating lunch with me all week, too."

"Eh?" both guys said at once.

_Oh, yes, boys… I thought that one would hurt your little social lives._ "You, obviously, need to learn to get along better, and I'll keep watch." _Plus, even at eighteen, they are still impressionable. And, they have no family. So, I'll just have to guide them and be a good mentor._

"Okay," Jou said reluctantly. "Does today count?"

Seto eyed Jou suspiciously. Did he always agree to everything so easily?

"Tomorrow," Coach said. "I've got plans for today. And you'll both meet me here at noon for lunch detentions. But, for now, you can start with cleaning this place up!" His voice got louder as he finished his last sentence. Then, he left the room with the little sensei in tow.

"I'll help," Yugi said with a glance down at the black pile of powder. He stepped toward the teacher's bathroom for paper towels.

"No," Seto said, "with power toner, it's best to vacuum it up first. Don't get anything wet or warm on it unless you have to. And don't get it on your clothes or skin. If your hands are dirty, everything you touch is dirty."

"The king of office supplies has spoken," Jounouchi joked. He wanted to lighten the mood a little even though he wasn't feeling it much himself.

Seto said to Yugi and Jou, "We need to discuss things, and I need my books and laptop. I'll be back."

"What about bringing us back a vacuum?" Jou asked.

He got a blue-eyed, icy stare.

"Great," Jou grumbled, "leave while we're doing all the work."

Seto gave Jou another cold look and the door closed behind him.

"Is that really how you feel?" Yugi asked curiously, putting the "F" papers back on the desk.

"A little," Jou admitted. "But, you know, Yugi, this day just can't get much worse."

* * *


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Yugi and Jou took their time cleaning up the faculty lounge and office space. They managed to skip their last period—saying that Coach Yamaguchi had told them to clean. And they kept busy. The other teachers bought it, and they had the period for "cleanup duty." Yugi had to admit that the place looked much better once they were done.

After they finished, Yugi left to go find Anzu. She still had to be somewhere in the building, waiting for him. He'd find her and then come back to talk to Seto and Jou.

Jounouchi, fingernails black from forgetting Seto's advice and touching the black toner with his hands, had to go to the bathroom to scrub it off. He didn't want to leave black smudges in the faculty restroom. So, he took the long way to the guys' toilet—which was down one hall and to the right.

Coming out, Jou noticed two other guys waiting against the opposite wall. One was a tall guy with black hair that had bleached blond highlights for that "Yankee" look. The other one was short, squat, and had a gap between his teeth when he grimaced a smile at Jou.

_Why are they here? School's out now. _Jou gave them a passing glance but decided against staring them down. He didn't want trouble. _Ignore them,_ Jou thought. _I need to find Seto anyway._

"Oi, Jounouchi-kun," the Yankee-looking one said.

"Do I know you?" Jou stopped and gave a narrow stare.

"Yeah, I hang out with your ex-friend, Honda."

"Ex-friend…Honda?" Jounouchi parroted, confused. He knew that Honda had made himself scarce for a few days now. But, with everything going on, it didn't really register.

"And I don't have to give you my name."

"Me, too," said the shorter one quickly.

"Then, I don't see the point of talking." Jou started to walk off, but the Yankee blocked his path after four paces. Jounouchi glared. _Oh, you wanna conversation? Okay, let's have one._ "Look, buddy… that fake, bleach-blond, Yankee look is really awful on you. You can't be mistaken for a gaijin." Jou touched his own natural blond hair with a smirk.

The guy balled up his fists.

Jou folded his arms on his chest. "How long did it take you to bleach your hair that color in the beauty salon—three hours? I'm sure they had a lot of housekeeping magazines to keep you busy."

"Should we let 'em have it, Shou-kun?"

"Shou-kun?" Jou rummaged through his mind. "Oi, are you the same Shou-kun that Honda talks about? You have the same hobby—trains, I think…"

"Yeah," Shou said, glaring at Jou, "but you turned on him and we're gonna give you a lesson in manners."

"Youta, let's get started," he said, staring at Jou with a little fang hanging out of his mouth.

Jounouchi followed their movements, shifting strategically and then found himself with his back to the wall. He wasn't sure how he got in that position, but the wall came up behind him suddenly. It bothered Jounouchi that he didn't have a way to retreat. He had the two guys in front of him now—which gave him the only choices of taking off to the right or the left. If he went right, he could duck back into the restroom. But he would be cornered in there with no witnesses and the bathroom door being the only way out.

Jounouchi brought up his fists again. Another fight. This day was sucking royally.

Seto stepped around the corner with his books and laptop. The fangirls had been only too happy to hand the stuff over and were praising him at his locker, which he half-listened to as an ego boost. But, now, Seto could see his blond puppy cornered. He frowned deeply. This was his latest opportunity to talk to Jou and these guys were getting in the way. It didn't matter who they were. He'd get rid of them.

Seto's eyes drifted to Jou.

Hazel eyes looked back. Jou shook his head with an almost imperceptible "no." Anyone else watching would have thought it was a slight swivel.

_Sorry, Seto, but I can't let you do this. I have to face this on my own--alone._

"Wha-?" said Youta, "Kaiba-kun?"

Shou flashed an arrogant grin. He knew Seto's rep with Jounouchi, and he thought he recognized a kindred spirit. "Just walk away, Kaiba-kun. This guy is all mine." He rested a hand against the wall near Jou's head and leaned in—his face nearing Jou's. Close enough to breathe on him. Jou turned his face away.

Seto narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on the laptop case's handle.

"We're just gonna have a little _talk_. Huh, dumb ass?" Shou said. His face hovered nearer the blond's. Staring him down was fun. Jou tilted his head back to give himself more space from Shou.

"Fine with me!" Jou said.

There was a yelp. Shou looked over to see Youta grabbing his crotch, turning pink, and collapsing to the floor with a pathetic little squeak. Yes, he'd been kicked in the happy sack.

In less than a second, Jounouchi had smashed his fist into Shou's nose, knocking him down. He followed up with a hand on the back of his neck.

Seto stood there, impressed. He rested his hands on his hips.

Hazel eyes turned to hard green. Jounouchi's face was cold, all emotion washed out of it. Kneeling down, Jounouchi said viciously, tightening the hand to the back of Shou's neck, "You're a real stupid bastard, you know that? If you're a friend o' Honda's then he's told you that I was in a gang once." Jou shook the guy's body hard by the neck. The head wobbled. "I know how to fight, and I know how to make people _hurt_. And I've done it so many times, I lost count. You wanna mess with me? Okay! I know what to do to you next."

Jou leaned over and twisted an arm with a strong upward motion and put a knee to Shou's back. Shou yelled out in pain.

"Oh, quit screamin'! We're just gonna have a little talk," Jounouchi yelled, digging in the knee. In his mind, no one else existed but the two of them. And this guy was really going to get it now.

Seto put down his books and laptop but never took his eyes off of Jou. Jounouchi seemed to have only a thin layer of control over his rage. Simply telling him to calm down wouldn't have worked anyway, but he knew what to do.

"Pull him up. Get him on his feet," Seto ordered.

Jounouchi's head shot up at the words. It was more than a glare at the person speaking to him. He was seething. The eyes seemed to ask, _"Should I attack this one, too?"_ This wasn't the Jounouchi that he knew and woke up with this morning. But Seto refused to allow himself to be afraid of his own mutt.

"You heard me! Get him on his feet!" Seto shouted.

Jou did it.

_When in the gang, Jou must have been conditioned to follow the leader's orders_, Seto thought grimly.

Shou found himself being pulled up roughly by the neck and the twisted back arm. Blood was dripping out of his oversized nose, all red and bruised from Jou's fist colliding with it. There was a blood smudge on the floor, too.

"Just you wait," Shou threatened with a sickening smile, but knew he wasn't in a position to do more than blow smoke out his ass.

A white flash caught Jou and Shou by surprise.

Seto smirked at his cell phone. He'd just used the camera feature to take a picture of the two of them. Seto admired his work and turned the phone in their direction. A grim-looking little Jounouchi was standing next to a snidely grinning, bloody-nosed Shou-kun.

"What the hell?" Shou said, furious.

"You need to start explaining. I have very little patience," Seto smirked evilly.

Calming down a bit, Jou leaned in closer to see the picture. "Oh, that's appealing," Jou said sarcastically, "you're smiling at me with a bloody nose. I didn't know you liked me, _Shou-chan_." He emphasized the "chan" part with a rich, slightly dangerous tone.

"Oi!" Shou said angrily, turning his head from Seto to Jou and back again. "Look, I heard from the Nogi girls…"

"Yeah, yeah," Jounouchi said, "I've got the Nogi twins in my Japanese Classics class."

"I heard from them that you called Honda a 'hentai.' In fact, _you accused him_ of having a bloody nose and being turned on."

"I…did?" Jounouchi looked puzzled now, searching his mind back and letting go of the last of his anger at the thought of Honda. "I have no memory of that…really." He scratched his head. He thought some more with a slight frown.

"Don't play dumb! Ya did it! I know because they called me at home right after you said it."

Jou's eyes widened, the light bulb turning on for him. "Yeah, I remember now. But, he was teasing me about e-mailing my sister, and I was just teasing him back about having a bloody nose. We're friends still. At least, I think so."

"Well, he doesn't!" Shou huffed back and wiped blood on his sleeve.

Seto saw hurt. Jou's head turned down toward the floor a little. "Honda sent you, didn't he?"

"Nah, he doesn't know that I stood up for him." Then, Shou added, "But you should have been a better 'friend' than to call him 'hentai'." He pulled his right arm away and Jou released it.

"This is stupid," Seto said crisply. "So, here's how we're going to play this little game." Seto approached Shou and showed him the photo one last time. "You are going to go back to the Nogi sisters and tell them that what they heard wasn't the whole conversation. You talked to Jounouchi and you are satisfied that no insult took place. And you are going to tell them that their gossiping was a huge waste of your time, and you'll make them sorry if you have your time wasted again. Go to Honda and tell him that Jounouchi is innocent. And, while you're at it, _tell him_ that he 'should have been a better friend' instead of jumping to conclusions. And you know what I mean by 'conclusions.'"

Shou eyed Seto suspiciously. "How did you know…?"

"That Honda was well aware that you intended to beat up Jounouchi for the 'hentai' remark?" Seto saw in his mind's eye Honda sneaking away right before the "Namiko incident." "That's none of your business. And I'll give you 24 hours to do all of this or else…"

"Or else…what?" Shou said sarcastically.

Seto looked down at his phone almost lovingly. "I'll just press…'send'. I'll send this photo to everyone in my address book. And I'll tell all of my fangirls, and some of them are faculty, that you got a bloody nose from looking at Jounouchi. This photo is my proof."

"Wha-? I don't fancy him! I like girls! This whole thing's a lie!" Shou protested.

"My point exactly. I'm glad that someone with an IQ that strongly rivals a sea cucumber's can grasp this whole concept. Twenty-four hours, moron. That's all you have."

* * *

The echoes of Shou and Youta limping down the hall died away. The door at the far end of the corridor shut with a heavy, metallic bang.

Hearing it, Jounouchi leaned his body against the wall and sighed. He felt tense—too tense. His arms and legs hurt from the stress. He could still feel himself breathing hard, and he tried his best to breathe slower and to lower his heart rate. "You're great, Seto," Jounouchi said with a chuckle of admiration, his chin raised toward the ceiling. He really needed to calm down. It had been awhile since he had to defend himself like that.

"It's only appropriate that you recognize it," Seto said back with a self-satisfied smirk. He took a step closer to Jou. "But, I'm not pleased with Honda. Can you still trust him?" In the past, it would have been fun to needle Jou with the question. But, now, it was sincere.

Jounouchi eyed the slashes on Seto's chin and cheek. They were thin red lines. He tried to touch them, but Seto stopped his hand and lowered it with a shake of the head "no."

"Can you trust him?" Seto repeated. "And don't try to distract me."

He gave Seto a crooked grin. _You can see right through me, can't you?_ He reached over to Seto's hand and linked pinkie fingers. "Can I _forgive_ him, you mean?" Jounouchi said quietly, swinging their hands a little. "Dunno." He gave a quick glance to Seto and looked away. "It's the only answer that I can give because…well…I'm no saint, either. You just saw…"

"Still, it's a good thing that I came along," Seto murmured, opening Jou's hand and lacing their fingers together slowly. He leaned against the same wall.

"Wha-? Those guys?" Jounouchi smiled now with a slightly wicked curve. It was a real smile, not a practiced one. Seto noticed it. "Oh, I've had worse. Two wimps, I can handle. Three or more…well…that's not so good."

"I was coming back for our 'talk.' Remember the one you _promised_?" Seto placed a bit more stress on the word "promised." The grip on Jou's hand tightened, too.

Jou nodded without looking up. His face was in shadow now.

"So, let's see…" Seto said, moving in front of Jounouchi and resting both hands against the wall on either side of Jou's head. Jou lifted his face, a smile playing on his lips. Seto had him boxed in. But, he felt safe and enjoyed the attention.

"Seto, someone could come by and see this," Jou cautioned playfully.

"Worried?"

"Not really," Jounouchi smiled back. He tugged at some of the slash holes in Seto's uniform. _He's got five of these uniforms at home. It's a good thing, too. _"Hey, this hole," he poked a finger through, "almost cut through to your skin. I can feel your undershirt."

Seto's body shivered at the touch. "Are you trying to tickle me?"

"Is this distraction working?" Jou asked.

Seto frowned slightly. "Back to my original explanation, then. The only people left in the building are Yugi and Anzu. They're waiting in the biology lab. It's the only open classroom I could find. The four of us need to conference on something."

Jou leaned against the wall and tugged at the holes in Seto's uniform again—putting his fingers inside and pulling him closer. "A conference?" Jou lowered his voice and tilted his head. "Is _that_ what this is?"

"This isn't a conference…it's a tryst," Seto said, leaning in to Jou's ear whispering, "between lovers."

"I see," Jounouchi grinned slightly, letting Seto draw near. "But, it's more than that. You're trying get information, too."

"Really? Have I been found out?" Seto joked quietly, kissing Jounouchi's chin to avoid the self-inflicted scratches. Seto wrapped his arms around Jou's shoulders and held him close. But, instead of responding to his touch, Jou simply stood there and allowed it. That wasn't like his puppy at all. And Seto's warm feelings began to fade away.

Jou took a short, huffy breath and leaned his head against Seto's shoulder. "You want to know what's bothering me. Thank you, Seto. The fact that I matter to you this much really means something."

Seto's eyes stared into the wall, into nothingness. This was not going to be good. He knew it now. "Last night, and, then, again this morning… I suspected something… Tell me…but…only, and I do mean _only_, if you really want to." Seto cringed inwardly before uttering the words, "But Yugi's here, too. If it's easier to tell him…?"

"It wouldn't be."

Seto blinked at that and held Jou a little tighter.

"I don't want to tell him."

Seto took a slow and even breath. "Are you okay?"

"No," Jou said back. It was simple and to the point.

"You're worried about Namiko. I can see that..."

"No," Jou cut him off, "it's nothing to do with her."

Seto's heartbeat was picking up. Something cold was running through him, and he felt that he had to hold onto Jou or he'd lose him.

Seto murmured into Jou's ear, "What, then?" His voice had a soothing quality to it.

"My father called. When I went back to get my school uniform at the house yesterday after dinner…he…he called." Jounouchi found the strength to move his arms. He rested them around Seto's waist.

"I see…"

"He…uh…he said that he got this new construction job in Australia. So, ya know, he'll be leaving Japan, and he'll be gone for another year. He'll miss my graduation."

_Oh? Oh, well… If that's it…_ Some part of Seto was relieved. Jou's old man was someone that he had never met and never wanted to. Still, he could understand why Jou would be disappointed.

"I lied and told Dad that it was okay. No big deal. No worries."

"But, it's not," Seto said quietly. "You know, if you like, I can send him a ticket back to Japan and…"

"No," Jounouchi said, looking up with a quiet, peaceful gaze. He didn't want to feel anything, really. _Just focus on nothing and don't cry._

"My present to you for graduation?" Seto continued.

"No." It was barely above a whisper.

Jounouchi pressed his cheek against Seto's shoulder again. This next part would be hard. He took a ragged breath that Seto could feel between them.

"You see…I told my father that I was moving out after graduation. The house would be his problem. Sometimes, he'd send me enough to cover the mortgage. But I'd handle the electric bill, water bill… After graduation, they'll all be his problems, nothing to do with me."

Seto was impressed. It was about time that his father took responsibility.

"I'd been doing it for so long because I didn't want anyone to know. At school, it was kind of a deep, dark secret. If people, other than my friends, found out I was living alone…that I'd been living alone for so long…they'd put me in an orphanage or something because we don't legally come of age in Japan until we turn 20. But the worst case scenario would be for me to live with Mom in Osaka. I don't like her, Seto. She's never satisfied with anything or anyone."

Seto pushed them apart for a second, his hands on Jou's shoulders, and looked at the blond. "Maybe," Seto suggested, "you don't like her because she handed you over to your father without a fight. You think she forgot you." Seto wrapped Jou in his arms again and tucked the blond head under his chin.

Jounouchi's answer was a shrug.

"I also told Dad…that…my new 'girlfriend' is a 'boyfriend'."

Silence.

Seto blinked at that, trying to process it. Jou had brought that out of the blue. Seto said in a harder tone, "I really wish you had told him in person. In fact, we could have told him in person."

Jounouchi's laugh was bitter. He couldn't even imagine that scenario in his head. Construction worker, Dad. CEO, Kaiba Seto. Himself…in the same room…talking about… No. It was too painful as it was over the phone. He didn't want it in person. He had actually considered sending the news to his father in a letter, but it seemed like cowardice.

"I didn't mention names. I just told him the way it was."

"So, how did he…?"

"React?" Jou finished for him. "He told me that I'm no better than when I joined that middle school gang—and then left it. Just like with them, I'd get bored of…of…doing…" A blush ran across Jou's nose, cheeks, and ears. "I'd get bored…anyway. I'd leave you, too, and come crawling back to him." Jou could feel warm tears in his eyes and rubbed them against Seto's shoulder. "But, when I try to come back the next time, I'll have diseases or something…paint my room pink…give up Duel Monsters and switch to decorating...speak Japanese like a girl…"

Seto found himself boiling with anger at someone he'd never met. He was growing to hate Jou's father more and more with each word.

"He told me that I have to move out, lock up the house, and mail the key to him at this address by the end of next week." Jou pulled a folded envelope out of his coat pocket. "It's the address where he's been living for the last four months." Jou's eyes were full of tears when he looked up at Seto. "Dad thinks that I've been bringing men over to the house…to do…you know… to pay my bills, not working two jobs like I said I was... And you won't believe what else he told me." He shook his head. "I can't say it, Seto. I just can't."

A little rougher than he intended, Seto pulled Jounouchi against him. "I'm sorry," he whispered. His fingers clutched at blond hair.

Instead of sobbing hard, as Jou was afraid he'd do when he told Seto everything, he felt strangely calm. He could feel warm tears down his cheeks, but that was all. When he could speak again, he said, "I really am a homeless mutt. And that's why I wrote 'Mutt-without-a-leash' on that note back to you. I'm not tied to the house or my Dad anymore."

"Don't worry," Seto said with the CEO in him taking over. "I can handle everything for you. You're not homeless. We were planning on being together anyway. It will just be several months earlier than we anticipated. We'll move up the timetable. No one will know."

A blond head shook "no" on his shoulder and Seto frowned deeply. His puppy looked up at him with regret.

"And I don't want you to rescue me. I'll never get any stronger if I keep relying on you."

_What did he just say?_ Seto's eyes were like blue fire now with worry and anger. _I cannot be hearing this! What is he thinking?!_ He pushed them apart a little. "So, you're breaking up with me over this?" His tone was angry. Very angry. "I won't allow it."

"Wha-?" the blond said back. He rested his arms around Seto's neck with a bit of hesitation. Seto's reaction was a surprise. "No… I need to be with you. But, I also need to rely on myself, too." Seto stared and Jounouchi watched his face a little. "It's okay, Seto. It will all be okay. I'm not going anywhere. I promise." Jou stroked Seto's back in a kind way. He gave him a friendly nudge, too.

Blue eyes widened a little. "I misunderstood you. I'm…sorry," Seto whispered.

"Sorry? Don't be. Hey, this is me that we're talking about. So, it's understandable." Jou almost smiled that time.

Seto stared back. _You're living in Hell right now and you're reassuring me? How can you do that?_

Jou walked over to Seto's things and came back, handing them to him. "These, I believe, are yours."

Seto tilted his head and stared incredulously. "How can you be…?"

"I dunno," Jou said and wiped his right eye. "I've made it this far. It will be okay…somehow. And, you've gone through worse yourself, I think. Well, you had to take care of Mokuba. So, your road was harder." He smiled and enjoyed the perplexed look on Seto's face. "Come on," Jou said with a more upbeat tone, "we gotta find Yugi and Anzu in the science lab. They're waiting…and waiting is a rude thing to do to your friends. _Our_ friends…" Jou crammed the envelope back into his pocket as he walked away.

Seto followed behind. His mind was still replaying their conversation. He hated that distracted feeling but knew that Jounouchi's troubles were now his troubles, too. They were a couple and faced everything together.

Walking down the hall, Jounouchi said with boyish charm, "C'mon, Seto! Catch up with me. You're about three paces behind." There was the thin curve of a smile on his face. It wasn't that hard now, because he'd told Seto everything. He felt better. No, more than that. It was relief. "Three paces, Seto! What am I? Your husband?" He turned back with a grin.

"Yes, you are."

Jou stared at him, wide-eyed with his mouth slightly open. Then, a huge grin spread across his face with a tomato red blush. Jou began to laugh, hearing himself echo down the empty hall. "That is a good one, Seto! You really had me going there for a second! I _knew_ that you had a sense of humor. I just _knew_ it!" Jou, now, had the same enthusiasm that he had each time the Hanshin Tigers got a homerun.

Jounouchi approached Seto with the widest grin yet. "I really needed the laugh. You're a good person, Seto."

Seto shrugged back but his eyes sparkled with mischief. _Actually, I wasn't joking at all. I just suddenly realized how I see you._

Jounouchi reached over and hugged Seto. "Thanks…I needed that."

"Anytime," came the cool voice and strong arms followed, hugging Jou back.

"Jounouchi-kun? Kaiba-kun?" Yugi said, popping his head out the door of the biology lab. He glanced down the hall in time to see Seto and Jounouchi hugging warmly—Seto's fingers pressed into the material in Jou's jacket. Jou lifted his chin, leaned in, and found Seto's lips. Seto accepted the affection, allowing the blond to have control. The kiss had a quiet passion to it. "Oh…well…" Yugi mumbled to himself while ducking back into the classroom, "that's going to take some getting used to."

* * *


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Seto sat at the end of one table with Yugi, Anzu, and Jou sitting together at practically the other end. They were all looking at Seto curiously as he opened and booted up the laptop.

"Here's what my people have found out so far," Seto said as though he were conducting a business meeting with colleagues.

Yugi looked at Jou and back to Seto again. _Don't think about them kissing in the hallway. Don't think about them kissing. Well, actually, Jounouchi kissed him. And it was more than a friendly kiss. He was chewing on Kaiba-kun's lower lip. Kaiba-kun liked it. Eyes closed. Ugh! It's so weird to see friends do that! Don't think about kissing…_

"Yugi? You okay?" Anzu asked, feeling worried.

"Why?" He smiled and shrugged in an impish way.

"Because of that strange look on your face."

Everyone stopped and looked at Yugi. His pointy hair fell a little at the embarrassment of being watched.

He patted his stomach and said, "Lunch wasn't agreeing with me."

"Mystery meat is a serious thing, Yuge. Don't eat it again," Jou said with a slight frown.

"Yeah…right…I'll avoid…the meat…in the future…." _What am I saying? Kaiba-kun's looking at me like I'm an imbecile right now. Ugh! Kisses! No! Gotta stop thinking!_

Seto cast a side-long glance at Yugi and placed a compact disk into the drive. A light lit up almost immediately, reading the disk. Seto moved the laptop to the center of the table so that everyone could see.

A scanned in photo of Namiko, looking somewhat younger than she was today and with a boyish haircut, popped up on the screen. Information in Japanese began writing itself under the photo with clicking sound effects that seemed to come from an old fashioned typewriter.

"The freelance photographer in Beppu who introduced herself to us as 'Nakamura Namiko' doesn't exist."

"Big surprise there," Jou said sarcastically and Seto curled his lip. "What? Oh, sorry. I felt like I was in class. Oh, wait," he said looking around him, "I am in class."

"Back to what I was saying…before I was interrupted…" He shot a dark look.

"You don't have to be like that," Jou grumbled and Seto ignored it.

"We've found nine different aliases for Namiko, all variations of the same name or kanji, that appear to match the photos that we have of her."

The single picture changed to a somewhat fuzzy color collage of Namiko images—looking very much as she did this afternoon.

"And, we have these images thanks to my people hacking into Pegasus' security cameras the last time we 'visited' his place—over six weeks ago—and keeping tabs on the interior of the house. Though, at the time, we were really interested in what Pegasus was up to."

The collage faded to a front profile. "Word on the street, or rather _the underworld_, is that her real name is Yao Nami." The front view of her photo slowly merged into a side profile photo. "We still don't know her country of origin yet. But, based on her little comments today, and her accent, we know she's not Japanese."

Another photo of Namiko appeared. This time, she had a man with her. He was tall, in his late 30's with soft brown eyes, rounded features, black hair, wide nose, and glasses. He was wearing a colorful Hawaiian shirt and Namiko had one on, too. He had an arm around her protectively and her eyes seemed to glimmer at the camera with a dark spark. At first glance, Anzu thought that Namiko's mouth seemed to smile, but the more she looked at it, the more it turned into a thin line.

"Officially, she's wanted for questioning by law enforcement in four different countries on suspicion of murder. Apparently, she's worked her way from Hawaii, to Australia, to Japan, and then over to North Korea. The photo we have here is of Namiko with a Hawaiian real estate agent named Gerald Haunani. The police suspect that he was laundering money for the local yakuza there and got greedy. The next thing he knew, he had a pretty new girlfriend named 'Naomi Yao-Lin." Later, his body turned up in a drainage ditch in the southern part of Kilauea."

"So, she's been at this awhile," Anzu said while making a face.

"That's why Seeker hired her. She's good," Seto admitted bitterly.

Jounouchi rolled his eyes a little at Seto's comment. "Keh!"_ Did he have to say that she's __good_

"Issue?" Seto growled, being interrupted by his mutt again, and Jou shook his head "no" but pouted anyway.

"Rumor also has it that Namiko's father was a yakuza. But, exactly which gang, we're not sure. But it's thought that his grave is located in the city of Nanjo."

Yugi, Anzu, and Jou went back to watching the screen.

"According to my sources, he died suddenly while transporting 'farm implements.'"

"Yakuza are farmers?" Jou said, confused.

"Do you try to be _stupid_ on purpose, or is this another one of your lame jokes?" Seto growled.

"You don't have to talk like that." Jou's eyes flashed at him. He leaned forward in Seto's direction with his hands flat on the table.

Seto sighed impatiently. "Fine, I'll play along with your little snide remarks… Yes, yakuza like to 'farm' all over the Orient with M16's because they're so incredibly useful as ploughs." The sarcasm was dripping. He leaned back in the chair with arms folded, eyes dull.

"We…uh…got the picture," Yugi said, trying to be reasonable. He didn't need the stress of bickering considering all that had gone on that day.

"So, Namiko is a female yakuza, then?" Anzu said, following Yugi's lead.

Seto looked at the laptop. "Yakuza are men and there's really no role for women in that organization," Seto answered, but it was more like thinking out loud. "So, most likely, her father trained her to do 'little jobs' for him—or maybe 'subcontract' would be a better word for it. She knew the right techniques and could leave the country pretty quickly when need be."

Seto frowned a little before saying, "My people also found out that before leaving Pegasus' place, someone—Namiko—left a coded message behind. It looked like yakuza code, but no one could decipher it. But…

"But your people got to see it," Yugi said. "And…they could decipher it…?"

Seto nodded. "My people have friends in low places."

_Yeah, that one figures._ "And it says?" Jou asked, but knew the answer already.

"The letter blames the four of us…"

"Of course," Jou sighed.

"…For some missing money..."

"_No,"_ Yugi groaned.

"Then, just pay them, Seto," Jou said, looking frightened.

"This goes back to honor. 'Just paying them' at this point would be fruitless."

Anzu looked confused. "I don't understand something… If she left the note behind and got the yakuza to come after us, why bother to come to school today? She could just leave the country without getting caught up in this."

Yugi's head was lowered. His face was sincere when he spoke. "She wants to kill Jounouchi, and she wants to screw up Seto's head. I think she gets some perverted pleasure from making someone, who doesn't show much emotion, react."

"Are you calling me a robot?" Blue eyes narrowed.

"No, he's saying I'm your weakness." Jou looked at him evenly. "I really am, though."

"Oh, no!" Yugi said, violet eyes wide. "She'll probably come after us all. And if not her…"

"She said we were being watched. Remember?" Anzu reminded them.

"Yakuza," Seto sighed.

"Yeah, but is it her father's gang or some other gang?" Jou asked.

"Oh, we forgot to tell them," Anzu said to Yugi.

He nodded with a little enthusiasm. "I think we've seen them," Yugi said.

Jou and Seto looked at him, confused.

"The other day, Yugi and I heard some men talking. They left a Duel Monsters card behind. Later, we recognized their voices when we were buying drinks at the coffee shop where Jounouchi-kun works."

"Where he works?" Seto said, eyes wide. He quickly looked at Jou to see what his reaction was and hoped, deep inside, that it wasn't fear. Jou lowered his head a little with his hands resting on the table. Of all the possible reactions, that one made Seto's blood pressure rise.

"We're not giving up," Seto growled in Jou's direction.

Yugi nodded at Jou and placed a Duel Monsters card on the table. "And, today, Namiko said we're being watched. So, we probably are."

"Let me see that," Seto said in an aggressive tone. He picked up the Duel Monsters trap card and tried to ignore the fact that it was 'Mind Crush'—a card that had once sent him into a coma. That card, for better or for worse, was a bond between himself and Yugi. And, as a consequence, he had managed to crawl out of the darkness and into the light.

"This is fake," Seto murmured and turned the card over in his hands, "but you know that, too."

Yugi agreed.

"What you don't know is that Namiko told me," he said while rubbing a hand against the side of his neck, "that Seeker was going to pay the yakuza in Duel Monsters Cards—fake ones."

"That sounds stupid," Anzu sighed, putting her elbow on the table and resting her cheek against her hand.

"No, it makes perfect business sense," Seto said back with a frown. "You get close to the enemy, win their trust, and then double cross them."

Anzu's eyebrows knitted together. "But, the question is, 'How can you double cross them and get away with it?'"

"Double cross? What kind of business sense is that?" Jou said, wondering how Seto could say such things so matter-of-factly. "In Japan," and excuse me for stating the obvious, "we build all of our business relationships based on trust." Jou did his best to sound knowledgeable and slightly businesslike. Maybe, that would impress Seto and make him forget that "stupid" remark that he made earlier.

"And you forget," Seto said while trying to bite back the word "mutt," that I do international business with Americans, Australians, Mexicans, and Vietnamese—among others. And, from personal experience, I'd say that they believe that the ends justify the means. If you don't play ball their way, you won't be able to do anything at all. It's best to get them before they get you and never forgive."

"It's still wrong, though," Jounouchi muttered under his breath.

_He is so naïve_, Seto thought. _Just stick to serving coffee and being nice to people._

"So, back to the topic at hand," the CEO said, "Namiko told me that Seeker was planning to double cross the yakuza. And…"

"How?" Anzu interrupted, needing to know more.

Seto gave her a hard look for interrupting. "Namiko said that Seeker had done something to the cards. These cards, are tainted. She used the word 'dangerous' and I'm not sure how that's possible."

"Poison ink?" Jou suggested.

"No, she actually handled 'Pot of Greed' in front of me without gloves on."

Seto handed 'Mind Crush' back to Yugi.

"We'll just have to keep on investigating," Yugi said. "So, when one of us knows something, the others will have to stay informed, too."

Seto nodded, turned off the computer, and closed the laptop.

* * *

Yugi and Anzu left the science lab, chatting about dinner together. It would be for the best if they stayed together as much as possible for the time being—not that Yugi minded at all. Anzu pretended to be put out a little but was secretly thrilled. 

Jounouchi and Seto left behind them. Seto's face went back to the usual mask of indifference. Jounouchi smirked a little at it. Seto was running through things in his mind and he had to get to work. He'd probably end up being there for several hours.

"Yugi and Anzu have me thinking about dinner, too. I've got the day off today. I can make dinner. When would you like to eat?"

"That's the problem," Seto said, "I need to work or at least put in an appearance so that the employees don't totally slack off. But I also need to have someone with you at all times."

"Oh, don't go assigning one of your men in black to me," Jou complained.

"Why not?"

"Remember Death-T? I had one goon put a gun to the back of my head." He rubbed blond hair in the back at the thought. "Back then, one false move and I wouldn't be kissing you today." He winked.

"And what do you suggest?"

"Dinner in your office?" Jounouchi said. "You know, I make the best curry on the planet. You're gonna love it."

A smile twitched on Seto's lips. "You'll have to save that for Sunday when the cook isn't around. But, you could bring the food over that she usually leaves for us on the counter."

"I'll bring Mokuba, too. We'll all have a picnic in your office around 7 PM. Deal?"

"Deal," Seto said quickly and his eyes caught a lone figure, dressed in a blue school uniform, standing at the far end of the hallway. It was Honda.

Jou saw him, too, and stopped in his tracks. He felt sad and miserable inside all over again. _Your friends are supposed to make you feel better, not worse. They're supposed to be loyal and understanding._

"I suppose Shou called him," Seto said simply.

Honda could see Seto and Jounouchi standing together and cringed inside. He hated them as a couple. They had nothing in common, and he refused to even imagine their dates together—except as jokes. Some part of him wanted them to be interested in girls, not each other, and just move on from there.

_Did Jounouchi or Seto ever make a play for me and I was just too dumb to notice?_ he wondered. But right now was not a good time to be thinking about that. Honda could see that Jounouchi was unharmed. _He looks okay from here. I guess, that's…good._ Honda knew that he had made a total fool of himself and believed in rumors, not his good friend. He wondered how much Jou knew. He wondered if they could even talk to each other without a fight. And he knew that Jounouchi, if really angered, could easily kick his ass.

Honda noticed that Jou and Seto were still standing there—looking at him.

Jou said under his breath, "Honda."

Honda could see Seto leaning down with a comforting hand on Jou's shoulder, whispering something in his ear. Honda could only guess what it was. And, knowing Seto, it wouldn't be good.

"Excuse me?" Jounouchi said to Seto in surprise, head tilted to one side. "I don't get it."

Seto folded his arms against his chest, a corner of his mouth curled into a smile. A confused puppy could be cute sometimes. "I said you should _forgive_ him."

"That's…uh…that's not what I thought you'd tell me to do… Remember what you said back in there? I think it was something like…'never forgive.'" Jou was referring to their meeting in the science lab. He had a puzzled look. "I'm sorry to say this but… That…uh…just doesn't seem like you."

"It isn't. But _it is_ like you," Seto smirked back. "Some part of you wants to forgive him because that's just who you are. And you're cute when you stammer." _And, because you need as many friends as you can get by your side these days. _"Just don't forget that this was a misunderstanding and that you're the innocent party. And the bistro across the street from our school is an excellent place for Honda to squirm…or, rather, 'apologize' to you. Use that credit card that I gave you. Stay in public and I'll send the limo for you in forty-five minutes."

Jou nodded vacantly and Seto took off in front of him—pleased with himself. Then, Seto stopped and turned behind him, looking at hazel eyes. "You might also want to talk to Yugi about your problems after all."

Jou watched him, wide eyed. With one hand, he ran his fingers through his hair for a second. "Why?" The question came out a little rougher than Jou intended, and he felt embarrassed.

"Then, you'll finally realize that you're not alone."

With that, Seto turned and murmured, "I'll expect you in our bed tonight, too." He heard a chuckle behind him.

Honda looked away as Seto approached. He'd seen them talking, but was too far away to hear what they said. He waited for the worst. Seto would be angry about all of this and would threaten to beat the crap out of him. But, oddly, Seto didn't say anything. He simply walked past, around the corner, and then disappeared.

Jounouchi approached Honda with the words, "So, are we still friends or not?"

"Boy, you really get to the point. Huh?" Honda said awkwardly.

"Yeah, well, that's just the kind o' guy I am." Jounouchi pushed both hands into his pockets, and rocked back and forth on his heels, waiting for an answer.

"I guess 'sorry' would be a good start," Honda mumbled.

"A very good start."

Forty-five minutes later, Seto's limo came for Jounouchi-- who was sitting with his friend at a table outside the bistro with glasses half full of raspberry lemonade and the smudged remains of two bittersweet chocolate torts. Jou was playing Duel Monsters and laughing in the same loud, obnoxious way that he usually did with Honda. Their relationship wasn't back to normal just yet, but it was getting there. And Jou was glad.

"Your ride is here," Honda mumbled, looking at the shiny, black limo with distain.

_You still haven't accepted it yet. But, you'll just have to, Honda._

"Yeah, well," Jou said, "let's hang out tomorrow. Just you and me." He gathered up his cards.

Honda brightened a little at the thought, tapping his deck against the table. "We can meet here around 3:30 and then go to the mall."

"Deal," Jou said while disappearing into the limo. The driver closed the door.

"But I still miss the old Jounouchi," Honda mumbled, watching the limo shrink and disappear into the distance. "Kaiba's turning you into someone I don't know. Why don't you see that? Why do you have to be with him all the time? Of all the people in Domino, why him?"

* * *


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Yuna and her father, Mr. Satou, walked down the street with their groceries. Yuna was wearing her brand new green dress with runes hand stitched on the waistline. She had saved her money for a whole month to buy it online from a store in England. And she was very proud of the way it looked on her. If translated into her native Japanese, the ancient runes would have read, "Candle light burning bright."

Mr. Satou made sure that Yuna carried the bag with the nuts, Dutch Cocoa, dark chocolate, bottles of vanilla extract, and eggs. She always carried the bag carefully in her arms, afraid she'd break something. He, on the other hand, had the three big bags—with all of the baking soda, sugar, butter, and flour that Yuna needed.

"Yuna-chan, I don't see why you insist on baking the chocolate biscotti yourself. I can buy pre-packaged ones at a cheaper price." He omitted the fact that carrying such big shopping bags attracted attention from people on the street. And he was squirming a little inside because of it.

Yuna smiled back at him calmly. They'd had this conversation before and it was going to end the same way it always did.

"I enjoy baking for you. It's my contribution to the store." She smiled into the bag and thought. _And Mokuba-kun likes my biscotti, too. _She got a warm feeling in her heart that she fully embraced.

"It is work," he grumbled, "and you need to focus on your studies if you're going to pass the exam to get into high school."

"You are more important than school." Her voice floated on the wind.

Not fooled one bit, he said, "No education means no future. Hear me, drama queen?"

"I'll try to study…harder," she sighed on the last word.

The sun came out from behind a cloud. It was casting shadows and she slowed down a little—trying not to step on her father's shadow.

"I'm impossible," she sighed "and all I ever do is cause trouble."

"Oh, no," Mr. Satou said, "you are not going to distract me by saying 'pity me' all over again. I know that game."

"The truth hurts," she said smoothly but her eyes looked a little crafty as they crossed the street. Catching herself, she relaxed her face and walked with her usual cloud-like gait.

On the other side, she noticed the shadows on the ground. They were long and thin—like swords. The "white tiger ten" tarot card suddenly came into her head. She blinked. She saw her hands ripping the card in half. The image faded.

"Yuna?"

Vaguely, she noticed her father talking to her. She shrugged politely, looking down at her sandals.

_Was that my card? It didn't feel like my card. _"I just spaced out for a second. Sorry," she lied. Yuna repositioned the bag in her hands and followed her father.

She took a few more steps toward the coffee shop and chewed on her lower lip in thought. _I always see things __after__ they've happened. Even if I tell people what I know, nothing will change and everyone will be afraid of me—just like it was back in Okinawa before we moved here to Domino City._

They walked a little further together with shops and storefronts to their left and cars speeding to their right. While admiring a white Mitsubishi passing by, Mr. Satou's eyes looked a little beyond that point and saw raven hair. He noticed Mokuba coming out of a bookstore with a shopping bag under one arm. The child was walking with a man that Satou didn't recognize who was wearing a dark suit and tie. Mokuba seemed to be bossing the man around. The lack of respect—of humble submission to an elder—annoyed Mr. Satou.

"Isn't that Mokuba-kun?" he asked, pointing.

"Yes!" she smiled brightly and her father noticed it immediately.

_Oh, now, we get a real smile out of her. Hmmm… I'm going to watch that Mokuba-kun a little more closely in the future. I don't care how rich his family is. If he tries __anything__ with my little girl…_

"Oh, I hope he comes by and…" She hugged the grocery bag a little.

"And?" her father said in a grumpy tone.

Yuna froze. Her eyes looked straight ahead. Her smile died away.

"Yuna-chan?" her father asked, worry in his voice. "You're doing it again."

Yuna's brown eyes filled with tears. She shook her head "no" and started to sob.

"Are you feeling okay?"

A pearl-like tear splashed onto her face. It made a shining path downward.

"Yuna-chan? Yuna! Say something. You're scaring me." He shook her shoulder gently. People on the street were stopping and staring at them.

Yuna's head turned to him but she didn't see him. The images flashed by so quickly in her mind that she couldn't hold onto them. They repeated. A face. They warned. She had so little time left. Black. But there was time. Sharp. Yes, there was still time. Blood. Lots of blood on the sidewalk. Blond hair. Shining blond hair and blood. Silver. She could still make it.

From beyond, a voice said "RUN!"

"DON'T!" Yuna screamed. She dropped the shopping bag. Some eggs fell out of the container and broke on the sidewalk. Yuna was running as fast as she could, feet making a hard patting sound on the concrete. Her sandals had fallen off and she was running barefoot on the sidewalk. Yuna passed an old couple, who stopped and glared with annoyance. She barely heard the voice of her father shouting from behind.

Yuna ran harder, her hair band coming off. The braid was unraveling. Black hair was waving in the wind. A taxi, trying to make a yellow light, almost hit her. Honking, yelling—none of it reached her ears, green dress flowing behind.

Up ahead, Yuna could see… _Katsuya-kun_! Blond hair shining in the light. The image in her head… It matched. He was walking casually in his school uniform, with his hands in his pockets, and talking to the guy with the rhino horn haircut that she'd seen come into the shop a few times. _Honda. Maybe, his name is Honda-san. _

She slammed into Jou. "NO! DON'T! PLEASE!" Yuna-chan begged, hugging Jounouchi from behind and wrapping her arms around him, clutching at his chest desperately. She pressed her head against a shoulder. _I have to protect him. We have this connection. I can't let him go. He means too much. Life means too much. I'm needed. For this moment only, I'm needed. Please, please let me be brave enough to suffer through this pain…alone._

"Yuna-ch-?" Jounouchi said turning his head back to look at her, confused.

Honda saw it first. A quick, shadowy blur between the buildings. Stepping from the alley, a figure in black jeans, shirt, and ski mask came at Jounouchi with a small, steel dagger. The blade made a stab followed by an arc and slashed its way… out of Yuna's back. It cut a line that hit Jounouchi's forearm on the way out.

Yuna screamed and her arms tightened around him—fingers digging in.

"NO!" Mokuba shouted across the street. He'd seen the attack and ran through traffic to get to them—cars skidded and honked. Mokuba 's guard yelled "Kaiba-sama!" twice but gave up and pulled out his cell phone.

Mr. Satou, huffing far behind, saw part of it, a black blur, but couldn't make out the whole scene because it was so fast and pedestrians were blocking his view. But, the second he heard his daughter scream, he ran harder.

Honda grabbed Yuna as she fell to her knees. He lowered her to a sitting position. Jou sat next to her. "What the hell?" Jounouchi said, looking left and right. He was still confused. "What just happened? Yuna?" He wanted answers, but she didn't respond. Worried, he touched her shoulder.

"What do you think? We were attacked!" Honda said furiously, hands balled into fists.

Weakly, Yuna reached for Jounouchi. "Protect…you," she whispered, a thin tear streak shining from one eye. Honda put her in Jou's arms and ran into the alley to see if there was any sign of the attacker. Nothing. It was empty.

Mokuba and Mr. Satou arrived together—both were breathing hard. There was a little crowd of people gathering around them now. This included Mokuba's guard. Most of them looked haunted. This was just not the kind of thing that happened in broad daylight in Japan—the safest country in the world. Someone in the crowd said, "We need the police," and another said "I'm calling an ambulance."

"Thank you," Mr. Satou replied without looking behind him. _How could she have known? Seen? From way back there…? _His mind still couldn't process it.

"Yuna-chan?" Jounouchi said, putting a comforting hand to her back only to have it come away with wet, warm blood. "Oh, hell!" His palm was painted red. There was a catch in his breath. "Yuna-chan?!" his voice shook. Jou could see her face getting pale and blood bubbled out of the corner of her mouth. "Yuna-chan? Look at me." She didn't. Her stare was tired and unblinking. For a second, there was nothing behind her eyes. "Yuna-chan? Listen to me." Reluctantly, her eyes turned to Jou. "Your father is here. Let me give you to him."

Mr. Satou put his arms out. Yuna dug her fingers into Jounouchi's school jacket. "Protect," she whispered to herself. _That's what the voice told me to do._ Her mouth was close to his and reeked of blood. He could hear her making sounds when she breathed. Jounouchi tried to move her anyway, but she screamed and cried piteously when he did so. Mr. Satou shook his head "no" and said, "She's fine where she is."

Jounouchi nodded.

Tears came to her. "It was a woman," Yuna sobbed, moving a hand to Jou's shoulder. The pain was starting to register again. Her fingers tightened. Yuna could feel Mokuba putting his hand on top of her cold hand. She tilted her head slightly, and saw a watery image of his raven hair and face. "She wanted Katsuya-kun." Yuna struggled for a breath and leaned her head against Jou. He smudged some of the blood from her mouth away with his thumb. It left a faint, pink line on her face. "She wants…you. She hates…you. A matter of pride, now." Her words were barely a whisper, but Jou could hear it plainly.

"Did you see anything else?" Honda demanded and Mr. Satou glared angrily at him.

"Pink nails…pink phone… clipped to her waist…black…clothes."

Feeling light headed, she leaned weakly against Jou again. His skin smelled like sandalwood—which was a comfort to her. She loved incense. When Yuna's hand slipped off of Jou's shoulder, Mokuba let go of her hand. But it tore at him to let go.

Jounouchi was rocking her gently and had tears falling down his face. He pressed his cheek against hers. And when the wind blew against them, he tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear.

Yuna's back felt a cold numbness mixed with stinging pain.

"We're getting you help," Mokuba said.

"Katsuya-kun?" His name was a sigh to her. It was almost painful the way she said it.

"Yuna-chan, don't talk. Save your strength," he murmured back to her.

"You were the big brother … I always wanted. I wasn't lonely because of you..." She struggled for a breath. "Thank you."

"Yuna-chan," he said, "hang in there."

"Mokuba-kun…and I tried to…protect… you." She started to cough and struggled for breath again. She panicked for second, eyes wide, and clung Jou. She started coughing again. Jou could do nothing for her, except to hold her and rock her gently again. "Had a feeling… there was someone…I knew it… didn't say anything... S-Sorry."

"She's telling the truth," Mokuba said with a trembling voice, "she made me promise to watch over Jounouchi-nii."

Mr. Satou, Honda, and Jou stared at Yuna, horrified.

"Mokuba, you should have _told us_…" Honda growled.

"She made me promise!" Mokuba said angrily, interrupting before Honda could finish his thought.

"How did you know?" her father asked her, mortified now. He tugged at his collar.

"I saw things…shadows in the dark."

Jou blinked back more tears and stared down at the bleeding girl in his arms. "It's okay, Yuna-chan," Jou said. His hands were totally covered in red blood now. "I need a cloth or something for her back," Jou ordered. Honda and Mokuba gave him their handkerchiefs and he pressed them to Yuna's back to slow the bleeding. She inhaled sharply when he did it and cried a little more against Jou.

"I'm sorry," Jounouchi breathed.

Weakly, she shook her head "no." "I failed," she sobbed against him again, leaving warm, tear-stained spots on his jacket. "You got hurt anyway. She cut your arm."

Everyone looked at Jounouchi. Jou glanced down at his own body until his eyes caught the left sleeve of his school jacket. _My forearm! _There was a red line and blood was seeping down the sleeve. The blood on his left hand wasn't all Yuna's. _How did she know? I didn't really feel it until just now._

"Failed you…again," she whispered against him.

"I know it hurts," Jou said, "but try to bear it." He could hear the siren now. The ambulance was on their street. "They're coming. Yuna-chan? Did you hear me? They're coming." Jou hugged her against him.

"Yes, they are," she said softly and her head turned. Jou tried to see what she was looking at.

She squinted a little. "Are you angels?" she asked. Jounouchi and Mokuba stared at each other for a second and then followed her gaze. There wasn't anyone standing next to the corner of the building as far as they could see.

"So cold," she said with a shiver, "…want to… go home…with you... please."

Mokuba looked frightened. "Yuna-chan? You're seeing things. Wake up!" Mokuba leaned over Jou's shoulder and patted her face.

Her eyes began to glow dimly. "I've learned all I needed to in this life...the reason why my soul was sent here." A sad little drop of blood dripped slowly from the corner of her mouth. She leaned against Jounouchi again. "If I let go…I wonder...will the pain stop?"

"Yuna-chan!" Jounouchi whispered harshly and held her to him. "Stay with me!"

Her eyes watched the angels. They listened to her.

"He was worth it, you know…loved Katsuya so much…hate leaving him…" Yuna closed her chocolate eyes very slowly against Jounouchi's chest with a thin smile on her face. "Hope… he…forgives me," Yuna murmured.

The body felt limp in his arms. "Yuna-chan?!"

Shaking hard, Jounouchi yelled "YUNA!"

The last thing Yuna felt was someone holding her hand. She wondered, vaguely, who it was. It didn't really matter, though. She knew somebody loved her and that was enough.

* * *


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Sirens blared. For Jounouchi, the ambulance ride was a living nightmare. The emergency medical team had lifted Yuna out of his arms and put her on a stretcher, strapped her in, and took her away with her father following. Dazed, Jounouchi found himself inside the ambulance, too. His arm was bleeding heavily now, the lower half of his sleeve bright red, and Mokuba had managed to talk his way into coming—lying and saying that Jounouchi was his only guardian and there was no one else to watch him.

Inside the ambulance, Mr. Satou was crying a little and watching his pale daughter on the stretcher. Two paramedics were working on her, talking back and forth hurriedly. The words "liters of blood" faded into Jou's consciousness.

Jou, now in his white undershirt, was pressing a wide bandage to his arm to slow the bleeding with hands coated in tacky blood—his and Yuna's. Mokuba took Jou's blue school jacket, which was now covered in dark stains, and tucked it under his arm with the bag from the bookstore.

_When I was in the gang, how many people did we beat up? Send away in ambulances?_ He held the medallion around his neck like a lifeline. _How many, of the guys I knew back then, took a one way ride in one of these?_ He saw, in his mind's eye, his friend handing him this medallion saying that he'd come back and get it. The guy was going to face down a rival—a big one—even though Jou had tried to talk him out of it. The medallion was proof that, even though he was a good-for-nothing, he could face the enemy gang with honor. Proof that he would be back. It was the treasure that Jounouchi had admired, too, and his friend was well aware of it. A hand offered the medallion on the leather strap. Jou took it with both hands. They were friends after all. No, Jou liked him a little more than just a friend. _But it was a lie, too. He never came back. I still visit his grave…each summer._

The ambulance turned a corner. Inside, Jounouchi could hear them but didn't want to focus on anything other than Yuna.

_If I take my eyes off of her, she'll die_. He felt tears on his face again but ignored them. Jou desperately wanted someone to think for him. He just couldn't do it himself.

The paramedics had ripped the material off the back of her green dress to see the wounds. The decorative band of runes on the dress had been cut and hung limply on both sides. Above the white bra strap still hooked into place, one wound looked like a puncture and the other was a slightly frowning gash. Jounouchi could hear Mokuba talking to him and the sound of Mr. Satou's voice, but nothing made any sense and slipped through his mind like sand.

A few minutes later, the rocking motion of the ambulance stopped. The back doors flung themselves open. Light streamed in, disturbing him. Jou felt tired. He couldn't really move. It just took too much effort. Someone took Jou by the shoulder and escorted him out.

"Jounouchi-nii?" Mokuba said but didn't get an answer.

Jounouchi ended up in the emergency room and Yuna was in surgery.

Seto was sitting at his desk at work. He had a thin, dark blue shirt on with the sleeves pushed back above his elbows. The cuts on his face from fighting with Namiko at school had faded into thin, pink lines. He was glad about that. He'd certainly put enough ice on his face to make them go away.

Seto's cell phone chimed. He knew who it was just from the ringtone.

"Mokuba? I'm busy. If you want a snack, go get one out of the refrigerator and wait for Jou to come home," Seto said while typing in more computer code before he forgot his place.

"It's Jounouchi-nii!" Mokuba's voice was frantic. "We need you to come down to the emergency room."

Seto's eyes widened. The hand holding the phone shook and Seto struggled with himself to stop._ Namiko did this! Damn it! I had Jou sleep at our house, and I was with him at school. I thought he'd be safe enough to walk with Honda in broad daylight—in public. I should have assigned one of my men even though he told me not to. Hell!_ Seto's heart jumped hard. He closed and picked up his laptop with one hand—the cell phone still pressed to his ear.

"What happened?!" He grabbed his sport coat.

"He's alive. Just… Just…come down here, okay?"

"Fine, I'm not far. I'll see you in ten minutes." Seto fumbled in his pocket for his car keys. But, he had one last thing to do.

Kaiba Seto, CEO, stormed out of his office, stopped, and looked at his new temp secretary with blue, fiery eyes. This twenty-something woman, with short, brown hair, visibly jumped in the chair. Yes, he was certainly the monster everyone said he was.

_What did I do now?_ she thought, trembling_. All I did last time was ask where the bathroom was._

"I have a personal emergency. Call me at this number only if you really need to," he growled.

On a yellow sticky note, Seto had his cell number. He tossed it on her desk and walked away quickly.

"Yes, sir," she said, surprised. She watched him leave with more questions than concern.

Seto got down the hall and pushed the express elevator button. His phone rang the same, simple chime. "Kageyama, I know what just happened," he said darkly into the phone before she could speak. "Tell me what Mokuba's guard saw."

* * *

Mr. Satou sat alone in one of the hospital's waiting rooms. He'd been there forever, he felt, even though he knew that part wasn't true. The medical staff said that it would be quite awhile before he'd hear any news. Sitting drove him mad. The hands of the clock didn't move, and he found himself hating the cheery, peach colored wallpaper from the mid 1980's. Satou needed a cup of coffee or something. Maybe, one would be nearby. At least, moving around gave him something to do.

He walked along the corridor and turned in time to see a tall figure, over six foot, with a dark blue shirt, black trousers, and a deep scowl on his face.

"Kaiba-san," he said to himself.

He watched Mokuba run through the nearest doorway to his brother and hug him. The child looked terrified. Seto gently pushed him back a step, knelt down, and looked at his face, searching for something.

"Are you okay?" Seto asked with concern.

"Yes, but Jounouchi-nii…" Mokuba said, pointing to the door behind him. His voice trailed off.

"Take me to him. Fill me in on the way."

Face determined, Mokuba nodded and Seto followed.

Mr. Satou followed them, too, through one of the back doors leading into the emergency room.

Jounouchi, still wearing his white undershirt and blue uniform trousers, was sitting on the edge of a brown examining table with a nurse wrapping up his arm. Jou's shoulders were slumped and his eyes were fixed on the floor. Nothing mattered right now.

"You're lucky, you know," she said brightly. "Fifteen stitches isn't really all that bad. A little deeper, and you might have needed surgery." Jounouchi flinched at the word "surgery," but the nurse thought it was just the bandage being too tight. She loosened it a little.

"Jounouchi-nii?" Mokuba said coming in with his brother.

Jounouchi saw Seto and Mokuba walking toward him. He looked down again.

"Hello," he said dully.

The nurse picked up Jou's paperwork, handed it to him, and said, "The prescription for the painkiller is on top." She pointed to the white slip of paper. "Now, just go out the corridor to your right and they'll finish checking you out." Looking at her watch to see when her shift was over, nurse pulled back the white curtain and left.

"Pay them for the stitches… Yeah, I know…I know."

"I'll do that," Seto said, frowning a little. Seto leaned over and took the paperwork—touching Jou's hands gently as he did so. Jounouchi still hadn't spoken to either one of them beyond "hello" since they came in. He just stared with an unblinking look at the floor.

"Jounouchi…" Seto began cautiously. His pup was hurting badly, and he wasn't sure what to do next. Comforting Mokuba was easy. He'd done it his whole life. Comforting Jounouchi was new and often difficult for Seto. But, who was he kidding? Reaching out to anyone was hard for him.

"Excuse me," came a voice from behind. All three were shocked to see Mr. Satou standing there. "I know this may be a bad time, but…"

"How is Yuna-chan?" Jounouchi said, hopping down from the table. His eyes looked frightened. _Would he really leave her side at this time? Oh, no!_

"She's still in surgery," he mumbled, seeing Jou's bandaged arm and frowning deeply. Jounouchi breathed a small sigh of relief at the words. "But I wanted to see you anyway." Mr. Satou looked at Jou again, casting his mind back to the ambulance ride. Just for a second, he'd noticed that his "Katsuya-kun" was bleeding heavily and emotionally shut down—eyes staring off at nothing. He couldn't shake the image of the teen's school jacket being totally soaked with blood below the elbow.

Jounouchi nodded with understanding. _Yeah, he probably wants to fire me and then scream at me because of what happened to Yuna-chan. I don't blame him. I've caused enough problems for his family. If things were reversed, I'd probably do the same, I suppose… Come to think of it, I wouldn't want anything to do with me, either. It doesn't matter, though. Only Yuna matters._

"I want to apologize." He bowed low to Jounouchi.

Jou's jaw fell. Even though shocked, Jou used the most polite and humble Japanese that he could muster. "I'm sorry?" Jounouchi said, not believing his ears. "There's absolutely no reason to, sir. I'm the one at fault." He bowed lower to his boss. His arm began to throb painfully, though, and he tried to ignore it. He made a fist.

Mr. Satou slowly straightened up, looking apologetic. "My daughter has known for some time now that someone was following you, stalking you. She did nothing. She said nothing. If she had at least told me, I could have called the police and protected you both."

"_Protected me…?" I don't know if that's even possible…_

"I respectfully disagree, Mr. Satou, sir," Jou said, looking sad again, "My father says that I attract trouble and always have. But, I thought that I'd know if I was being followed. And Yuna-chan just wanted to protect me. She kept saying that again and again." He could feel her cold hands clinging to him when he said it. _And she wanted forgiveness, but there's nothing to forgive. _

"Maybe my daughter was in love with you. Or worse… She was playing a game with your life and probably involved Mokuba-kun, too."

"That's not fair!" Mokuba said angrily. "It wasn't like that." _Plus, I'm her boyfriend… Well, she's kissed me twice. So, that makes me her boyfriend, not Jounouchi-nii!_ Mokuba looked up at his brother for support. He really needed someone to believe him. "Honestly, Nii-sama, I thought she was guessing that something was wrong. Yuna-chan likes candles and tarot cards and incense. So, she was just _guessing_, that's all."

"She guessed right," Seto said. _Maybe I should have called the police after all,_ he thought_. Other people are getting involved. The only choice I have now is to isolate us until we get this straightened out. That means meeting up with Yugi and Anzu, too._

"May I ask a favor?" Jounouchi said, hands clasped together, prayer-like, in front of his face and eyes closed. "May I, please, see her when she wakes up?"

Mr. Satou blinked a little at the request.

"Yes! Me, too!" Mokuba said, copying Jou's gesture.

Now, it was Seto's turn to blink. Since when did Mokuba behave that way in order to get what he wanted? He usually barged in and to hell with protocol.

"Yes, that's fine with me," Mr. Satou said with a thin smile. "I'd better go back and see how she's doing. Yuna-chan is my only child. So, you'll have to forgive a silly old man who frets over her."

"Before you go," said a voice from the doorway, "we have a few questions for all of you." Seto saw that the Domino Police had arrived. Three officers stood stiffly blocking their way out.

"I wondered how long it would take you to get here," Seto said in a business-like tone. "And we don't mind you asking us anything about the incident on the street." He eyed Mokuba who understood immediately to keep his comments to only what he saw. "But," Seto continued, "I do insist that I be there when you question my little brother. I don't want him to be misquoted. A 'Kaiba' should _never_ be misquoted." Blue eyes were stern.

The three officers sighed inwardly. Kaiba Seto, CEO of Kaiba Corp, was going to make this a long, tiresome process and would, in all likelihood, have them leave with very little more than what they came here with.

* * *


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Yugi was at his grandfather's shop, moving inventory. Helping him was Anzu, who had an arm full of _**Shūkan Famitsū**_ (週刊ファミ通) gaming magazines in her arms.

"You can put those down on the counter," he said vaguely, his mind occupied. He continued shifting boxes of inventory.

"Oh, right." Anzu placed the stack down on the glass counter. "Do you want me to wipe this down or dust the shelves?" She noticed smudges and fingerprints on the counter. Someone had been eating something greasy and left clear prints on the glass. _That's so gross! It's like something Honda-kun or Jounouchi-kun would do._

"Let's get to that later. We've got two more boxes to open and sort out." He looked at her apologetically.

_He's just so cute._ Sigh.

"Anzu?"

"Hmmm…?"

"I think you're spacing out." He looked away for a second. Then, he decided to shift some magazines on a bottom shelf to make more room. He squatted down. "You know, this can get really boring. Do you want to watch TV in the other room?"

She shook her head. "Just let me know what you need done," she said smiling, looking over his shoulder. Her hair tickled his cheek a little. It felt nice, though. He turned his violet eyes up at her.

The phone was ringing. It took Yugi a second to realize what it was, his mind on other things—like Anzu's cherry lip gloss. _Always…always when I'm… busy. Oh, the phone. It's probably Grandpa checking up on me, though. I'm sure he's having way too much fun at that GamersCon in Tokyo. Still, it's good for him to get out every once in awhile. _He looked at Anzu out of the corner of his eye._ A little "alone time" can be fun, too… Cherry lip gloss… Yeah…_

"Yugi?" said a commanding voice on the other end before Yugi could say anything.

"Kaiba…kun?" Yugi felt confused. It really sounded like Kaiba.

"Have you been watching the news?"

Yup, it was Kaiba. Rude as always.

"Kaiba…Well, no. We've been busy—Anzu and I."

_Oh, is it that kind of busy?_ Seto thought wryly. He decided not to needle him, though. He was in a hurry. "So, I take it you haven't. Fine. Then, I've called to tell you that Jounouchi is okay. He's alive. He's with me."

"Jou…nouchi?" Yugi breathed, his face becoming pale. "…alive…"

"What happened to Jounouchi?" Anzu demanded, sounding frightened. He shook off her question with a hand. He could only have one conversation at time.

"He was almost killed this afternoon. But someone else was injured instead."

"Oh, no," Yugi said. "Who was it?"

"It's Yuna. Jou's boss' daughter."

"I don't know her very well, but…" Yugi began, feeling terrible.

"I'll tell you more about it at school tomorrow," Seto said. "Stay together tonight, you and Anzu. And, after school, we need to meet at the mansion. That includes Anzu, too. I don't really care what else you've got planned. We've got to have a meeting."

On Yugi's end, he could hear a car door opening and closing followed by the wind blowing against Seto's cell phone.

"Yeah, we do," Yugi said. "Grandpa found a few things out that you should know. I've been meaning to tell you ever since."

"Fine," Kaiba said and hung up.

Yugi sighed to himself. Then, he turned and looked directly into Anzu's worried eyes. Clearly, she was upset and giving him a pleading look for information. "What happened to Jounouchi?" she asked quietly, afraid of the answer.

"Someone tried to kill him," Yugi said.

"No!" Anzu gasped, putting her hands to her mouth.

"And…I guess, it's been on the news." He tried to break it to her gently, but he knew that there simply was no good way to do it.

Yugi picked up the TV remote and clicked it. On a low shelf in the far corner of the Kame ("Turtle") Game Shop, the TV flicked on. "That's awful," Anzu said, watching the television. There was a quick shot of blood stains on the sidewalk and a little crowd of people being interviewed. The sound was down too low, but Yugi and Anzu could see the fearful looks on the people talking. Yugi turned up the sound with the remote.

"…Once again, a local fourteen year old girl, originally from Okinawa, was stabbed twice in the back. The victim was seen by witnesses standing behind a teenage male in a blue Domino High uniform seconds before the vicious incident began—around four in the afternoon today. The male teenager was also slightly injured. Both are now being treated at Domino Memorial Hospital."

"Jounouchi?" Anzu breathed. Yugi put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her.

More shots of the street and crowd were broadcast followed by the camera panning over to a serious looking middle aged reporter wearing a dark blue dress and short, dark hair. "The victim herself identified the attacker as a female. And there is some speculation by police that this may be the result of increased female gang activity in Domino. Back to you in the newsroom." The anchorman looked out at his television audience. "And, in related news, the Domino Police Department has released their annual statistics on gang activity…"

"Jounouchi?" Anzu said, her voice trailed off. "Slightly injured. What does that mean?" She gave Yugi a direct stare. "It's probably Namiko. But it could also be… Could it be the yakuza?"

Yugi shook his head "no." From the news reports saying " female gang activity" instead of the usual "member of a violent gang organization" which means 'yakuza," I'd guess that the police think it's just a thug—well, female thug. And from what we were told, yakuza are all male. They hate women. And the victim…I mean Yuna… identified her stabber as female," Yugi said.

"So, it's definitely Namiko…?"

Yugi shrugged. "Probably... I'm really worried, though…" _But_ _Jou's alive. Kaiba-kun said he's okay. I'll believe him._ He took Anzu's hand in his. "But, one thing's for sure, Kaiba-kun's going to take care of him. And he'll fill us in tomorrow at school. We will need to talk about it some more at his house after that."

"You bet we do!" _Plus, we'll feel better once we see Jounouchi-kun, too _she thought.

"Oh, and one more thing… Kaiba-kun said that you and I really need to stay together tonight. He sounded worried."

"About us? That's a switch. But, you know, I don't exactly mind because…," Anzu said, looking down with a faint smile. She couldn't finish her thought, so she just shrugged. "I guess it will be a large pizza and a round of all night movies for us in front of the TV." He nodded.

The sound of the phone ringing again made them both jump a little. "Maybe, Kaiba's calling back?" Anzu said hopefully.

"Nope, it's Grandpa," Yugi said, looking at the caller ID this time.

"Hey, Yugi!" his grandfather said in his usual gruffish voice. "I was just checking in on the shop. How is it going?"

"Fine, Grandpa," Yugi said, trying to sound okay.

"You sure? You sound…I dunno…strange."

Yugi's mind started racing. _I can't tell him everything. It'll only make him worry, and he can't really do anything from where he is now._ "Oh, Anzu's over here helping me restock the shelves."

"Is that all…? Heh. Heh," Grandpa said. He smiled a little at his shy grandchild. "Did you talk to Kaiba-kun and tell him about those fake Duel Monsters Cards?"

"I'll have to talk to him about it tomorrow, I guess."

"That's okay," he said. "Remember to tell him that my friends and contacts outside of Domino haven't seen anything like the card you showed me before I left. And I've been working my contacts pretty hard to find out. But, the folks who live in Domino actually have seen quite a few of those. So, my guess is that the bulk of it is still there somewhere."

"It's all in a warehouse, one of the men said," Yugi mumbled.

"Probably… But that could be anywhere downtown."

"Grandpa, what about actually playing with the card?"

"Why would anyone bother? It wouldn't work with the hologram systems anyway. Fakes are not compatible. If you're just playing with the cards at a table, and the cards look real, then it's possible that no one would know it's a fake. The one you showed me was a pretty good copy. But if they've made more than one, it doesn't mean that they're all good copies, though."

"Well, okay. If you say so… You're the expert," Yugi said with a shrug.

* * *

Seto closed his phone and pocketed it. He walked into the mansion with two Domino High uniforms slung over his left shoulder. It felt weird buying them this late in the school year. 

Hearing the news coming from the living room, Seto made his way there to see Mokuba watching the television with concern in his eyes. He was perched in a chair with his knees pulled up to his chest. His arms were wrapped around them. Seto had never seen him sitting like that before. Jou was sitting in one of the chairs opposite—which seemed out of character for him. The mutt preferred the couch. Jou's body was bent over with his head resting in his hands, blond hair limp around his shoulders, but he was listening to every word that was being said on the TV.

"Nii-sama?" Mokuba said seeing his brother with the uniforms. A curious expression was slowly spreading on his face and he lowered his legs slowly to the floor. "Don't you usually have one of the maids do that? Pick up the laundry, I mean."

"These new ones are for Jou," Seto said, putting the uniforms across the back of the couch. "His old uniform…isn't…"

"It's ripped up and covered in _blood_. I know," Jounouchi interrupted with a deadly edge in his voice. He gave Seto a hard stare.

Mokuba looked up at his brother with a slight "no" shake of the head. "I think Jounouchi-nii is tired," the raven haired child said, giving a shrug. "And I'm not done with all of my homework. So, I'll see you." Wearily, he walked towards his room.

Jounouchi's face scowled as the child left. Jou followed the retreating form with his eyes. "He's lying."

"You're calling my brother a liar?" Seto said, blue eyes narrowing coldly. Jounouchi was just looking for a fight. He could tell.

"Yeah, I am. Right after you left, I asked him if he had any homework and he said 'no.' So…"

"He was being considerate? Maybe he just wanted to leave us together?" Seto said quietly.

"I suppose," Jou grumbled under his breath.

"Maybe, you could cut him some slack?" Seto continued evenly, cocking his head slightly to one side. "He's thirteen and…," Seto glanced in the direction of Mokuba's bedroom, "today he saw one of his friends get knifed in the back—literally. Though, I think she's a little more to him than just a friend. A crush, maybe…"

"You think I don't know?! Yes, you're right…you're absolutely right…and on top of that… Yes, I was there, Seto! I FELT THE FORCE OF THE STABS! And Namiko sliced me, too!" He put an angry hand to his bandaged arm.

"You're yelling," Seto said calmly. "Have you had your pain medication?"

"No! And I don't want to. I hate that stuff. I only got it because I was humoring you." Jounouchi stood up, hands balled into fists at his sides like an angry child. Suddenly, the news started replaying the story from earlier. Jou turned his head back toward the coffee table. He picked up the TV remote and flicked it off with a sharp jab. Quickly, he tossed the remote on the couch as though touching it burned. Jounouchi cast an angry look at the uniforms that were sitting there, too.

_I hate everything that I see. I hate it all. It's not fair that this happened to Yuna-chan. I attract trouble—always have. Maybe Dad had a point … never being home, always working… Always avoiding me… He says I'm a horrible person. He's right. Everything he says about me is right. _

Jou's thoughts faded when he felt a hand on his shoulder, stroking it gently.

"I really wish you'd calm down. You weren't like this when I left earlier. The press really got to you, I see…"

"Yeah…maybe," he growled.

_But, being a part of my life means that someday Jou's going to have to learn to deal with them. Not today, though…_

"I just wanna get out of here for awhile," Jou said, grabbing his blue jean jacket. "I'm just really pissed."

"I wouldn't recommend that considering all that's happened today and at school."

"Who are you? My mother? No, wait. I don't have one. My parents got divorced and Dad was the one who got stuck with me. Yeah, that's it." Jounouchi made grand, sweeping gestures and then flung his arms at his sides.

Seto was taken aback at that.

"Forget me," Jounouchi spat while storming to the door and cramming his feet in his shoes. Jounouchi ran out before Seto could say another word or stop him.

"JOU?" Seto shouted.

"Nii-sama?" Mokuba called from upstairs. "Is there something wrong with Jounouchi-nii?"

"No, we'll both be back before dinner," Seto called to him.

"You're leaving?!" Mokuba said incredulously. "You told me to stay home tonight and all the other nights… and to let the police handle this."

"It's necessary. We'll be back."

"O-Okay, Nii-sama." His voice sounded uncertain and a little afraid. Seto hated that.

On the front porch, he flipped open his phone and pressed a button. It picked up on the first ring.

"Kageyama?"

"Sir?"

"Did any of your people see Jounouchi just leave? He's a medium sized, blond haired, green eyed male about my age wearing a denim jacket, white shirt, silver medallion, and blue jeans. He just took off looking mad as hell."

"Yes, sir," she said back with a cheery smile in her voice. "I see him now. Do you want me to follow?"

Deeply relieved, Seto sighed, "Please."

"I'm flattered that you should say 'please,' but that's really not necessary."

Seto blinked at that. He wasn't even aware that he'd been polite. The two of them had always spoken plainly with a business-like air. And Kageyama wasn't fooled in the slightest. Obviously, Seto and Jou had been having some sort of quarrel. And she was enjoying herself.

Seto went to the oversized garage and opened the bay with his dark green Triumph inside. He got on and put the full-faced helmet on his head. Seto backed out the bike and looked around. No one. He started up the bike and rode it down to the end of the road. Once he got there, he removed the helmet and called Kageyama again.

"Yes, sir?"

"So, where is he now?"

"I can hear you're on the Triumph, sir," she said back with a smile. "Jounouchi-san is back to the scene of the incident today."

"You know about everything, Kageyama. I'm glad. That saves me time and explanations."

"Thank you, sir. I have news updates on my phone and motorcycles are a hobby. I can tell from the sound of the engine what you're riding. Let's see… Jounouchi-san…He's just leaning against the brick wall and staring down." There was a brief pause. "Sir, he seems to be cussing under his breath."

"Right," Seto said with a nod and took off in the direction of the coffee shop. It was a short drive. Once he got there, he noticed people walking casually to and fro—but, no Jounouchi. He pulled over and flipped out the phone again.

"Sir, I was about to call you," Kageyama said, sounding a bit out of breath.

"Where is he now?"

The labored breathing continued. "My subject took off at a run. I think he saw me when I tried to approach." Her voice took on an annoyed tone. "It's my fault, but I had to. I saw two males—one in his teens and another middle aged—following him that looked like yakuza to me. Definitely not good."

"Yakuza? Are you sure?" Seto said with an edge.

"From the way they looked, walked, and I saw a hint of a full body tattoo hiding under one's collar… So, yakuza would be my first guess… But those men saw me and they're gone. Unfortunately, my subject is, too."

"Did they go in the same direction?"

"Thankfully, no."

"So, which way did Jounouchi go?"

"I'm following… One moment… Okay, he's pretty far ahead of me, sir, but I can see him running toward…umm…not exactly the nicest neighborhood in Domino. He's fast, though…your…ummm…_friend_."

_Somehow, she knows about me and Jounouchi_, Seto reflected.

Her voice came back. "There's some gang activity on the street corners over there. If I have a problem, I might need to call for backup."

"Don't bother," Seto said, starting up the bike again. I know exactly where he's going. I'd feel better with you guarding the house and Mokuba while I'm gone."

"Right, sir."

Seto shifted gears and rode the Triumph into Jounouchi's neighborhood. He saw tough middle school and high school aged boys hanging out on the street corners, looking for trouble and staring down anyone who opposed them. One threw a rock at him. It missed by a mile

_Not all that long ago, Jounouchi was one of them_, Seto reflected grimly, _and I would have ignored him completely._

The homes along the street were mostly small, poorly constructed, and darkened—none of the owners venturing outside. The road was the only nice part due to Japan's national obsession with road construction.

Seto knew which house it was—even though Jou would never allow him to go inside. In the past, Jou would ask that the limo park in front just long enough for him to run inside and get what he needed. Partially, it was due to embarrassment. But, the other part would be the awkwardness that would follow should Jou's father arrive at the house unexpectedly. And, even though Jounouchi paid almost all of the bills with his part-time jobs, the house was still in his father's name. Jou was only the caretaker.

Seto pulled up as closely to the house as he could and walked up to the front door while removing the dark green helmet. He was too worried about Jou to cast a look of distain on the neighborhood.

The CEO knocked on the door. No one answered.

"Jounouchi? I know you're in there," Seto said in a bored tone. He knocked again…and waited.

No one answered.

"Jou? Jou?" Seto's voice took on a worried edge. He shifted his weight. "This is not funny. Open the door."

No one.

_What if he needs me?_

* * *


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

_What if he needs me?_

"Oh, hell," Seto growled. The CEO in him couldn't believe what he was about to do. Yes, he'd do it. He kicked the front door in the center. It flew open with little resistance and swung heavily into the wall with a slam. Once inside, Seto pushed it to, but could tell from the broken pieces of wood and framing hanging down that he'd pretty much killed the entryway door.

"Piece of crap," he grumbled.

Passing a chair in the living room, he put the helmet down on it and found his way to Jou's room. It wasn't that hard considering how small the place actually was. Seto's bedroom closet was bigger.

Jounouchi was sitting up in his twin bed, startled from the bang at the front door, when Seto walked in.

Jou wiped the tears on his face with the back of his hand. "How did you…?" he asked, incredulously.

"I owe your father a new front door," Seto said simply but his eyes were smoldering. Now that they were actually face to face, he was mad as hell at Jou all over again. He really wanted to let the blond have it. This had been a crappy day thanks to him. And, by leaving the house and security behind, they'd both taken risks that were unnecessary.

"Okay," Jounouchi said and lowered himself down on his bed. Jou's bed had a green and brown plaid comforter with dark green pillows. The bed, a twin size, sunk down low in the middle. He must have been sleeping on the same bed for ages. His body fit perfectly in the center.

Jou turned his face away.

"Speaking of 'owing' things… I think _you owe me_ an explanation," Seto approached the bed and sat on the very edge of it. It was a piece of crap bed and he worried that too much weight on it might make the damn thing break. "Spill it. Make it worth my time." There was arrogant pride in his tone that annoyed Jou to no end.

Jounouchi's face took on an odd squint. His thoughts were still far away. "I know. You were right all along." He curled his lip for a second when he uttered it. "When I was out there," he pointed beyond the window, "two guys and some woman were coming right for me. Let's just say that I have instincts about these things…from my past. So, I had to run for it. This was the closest place."

"But was it the _safest_ place?" Seto asked sternly. For a second, Jou felt like he as back in math class. And, once again, he didn't have a satisfactory answer.

"No." His voice was hollow.

"Then, _why,_ the hell, didn't you call me—if you saw people after you?" Seto said between gritted teeth. He gave a cruel, sidelong glare. "You do have your phone with you, right?"

Jounouchi flinched. "Seto, before I left, I told you to forget me. Remember?" He took the expensive phone out of his pocket and looked at it. Jounouchi's hand tightened around it. "Considering all of the time and money you've spent on me so far, I don't really see why you bother. Hell! I'm not…_I'm not worth it!_" He had the same angry tone from before. He was breathing hard now.

Blue eyes took on a very sharp edge as he stood up. "I guess, you're right. If that's what _you want_, I'll forget you." Seto turned away. "And if you don't understand why I bothered with you…well…what, the hell, were we doing with each other?" His back was to Jounouchi. "Goodbye, Jounouchi Katsuya."

Jounouchi sat up in the bed, wrapped his arms around his knees, and started to cry with his head down. It was a soft sound, but Seto's ears caught it. Hard, blue eyes glanced back one last time. He walked out the bedroom door and there was a loud slam from the front of the house. Jounouchi felt more tears sliding down his face. Everything that he ever wanted in his life had just walked out the door.

"Seto?" Jounouchi said miserably in between sobs. "I'm… alone… again. You're gone. But it's for the best." His head was still down, blocking out everything. His chest heaved. "I am nothing but trouble. My whole life… Poor Yuna-chan… One by one, everyone around me will die." He wrapped his arms tighter. "And I know that you've never told me that you love me. And, that's okay, too, because it's honest. I'll never pressure you to say the words again. I promise. It just… would have been nice to hear it from the only person that I truly love. Even if it was a lie, it would have been nice …to have that dream…for only a little while." He took a shaky breath and lifted his head. "You know, I hope Namiko finds me now and ends it quickly. I won't fight it this time."

"Then, you would be throwing your life away, and all of Yuna's pain would be for nothing," Seto said, leaning against the frame to Jou's bedroom door. His arms were folded defensively. His tone was angry.

"Wha-? You're still here?" Jou's jaw dropped, a tear sliding down his face. "But, I heard the front door…"

"Like I said, I owe your father a new front door. This one won't stay closed properly."

"But, you said 'goodbye' to me…"

"But you kept talking to me after I left. So, I decided to stay to hear what you wanted to tell me back at the mansion. That was it, right?"

Jounouchi nodded.

"It would have saved a lot of time and trouble if you had just said it back there when you were so angry." Seto approached Jou on the bed. "Scoot over," he ordered and stretched out next to him. So what if the piece of crap bed broke? Jou moved a little more to his right to accommodate the tall frame and blinked down, totally confused, with a wet face.

_Things really have changed between us. I can't stay mad at Jou for very long anymore._

"Puppy, you know," Seto said with a little mischief in his eyes now, "you're really ugly when you cry." He reached up and touched a warm, wet face. With a finger, he traced the path of the last tear down to Jounouchi's chin. It tickled slightly. Jou fought back a thin smile.

"Watery eyes…red, runny nose…blotchy face…"

"I see…" He was fighting back a smile now. "So, I'm ugly, and you don't want me back." He chuckled and wiped his eyes with the palm of his hand.

"Nope," Seto said. "Come to me?"

The blond responded with a real smile this time. "Please." Jounouchi stretched out on the bed, too. Jou wanted to lie on his left side and to cuddle against Seto, but the bandaged arm and stitches advised him otherwise. Instead, he used Seto's forearm as a pillow under his head. Seto's other arm shifted position and rested on Jou's chest.

"You never left my heart in the first place. So, I can't 'want you back' if you never left."

"So, I see…" Jou wiped his eyes again.

"And I heard what you said. But I don't think this has anything to do with me saying 'suki' to you. I think this is about you being mad at Namiko and trying to avoid trouble for everyone."

"I guess…" Jou sighed, taking a shaky breath and trying not to sob.

Seto turned his head to the right and looked into hazel eyes. "But, I do want to say this… I want you to stay by my side. You keep saying 'suki' to me and then you disappear when things get difficult. I've said this before, I know."

Seto sighed and looked at the stained, dusty ceiling.

"Gomen na," Jou said quietly. He really meant it.

"Gomen? I don't know… Which is the bigger idiot, someone who says 'I love you' and leaves…or someone who shows you 'I love you' and stays?"

Jou cringed and slowly laced his fingers with the hand resting on his chest. He shifted the hand's position over to his heart. Seto noticed that it felt like the blond had been running a marathon.

"I'm the idiot," Jou whispered. "You always were the smart one."

"Actually, you're smarter in ways I never will be." The look on Seto's face was sincere. No teasing. Jounouchi frowned a little at the thought. It just didn't make sense to him.

"In what ways?" Jou asked, disbelieving what he just heard.

"I'll tell you that, too, when the right day comes." Seto unlaced their fingers, reached over, and toyed with Jounouchi's medallion around his neck. His hand followed the black leather strap up. His hand caressed blond hair.

_Me? Smart? Nah… He's just messing with my head now. But it's what he does to my heart that really matters. It still feels like I almost lost him, too._ Jou rested his head against Seto with a slight smile and, playfully, took back the CEO's hand.

"You know, Jou," Seto said while looking around, "this room is exactly what I pictured in my mind."

"Really?" Jou mumbled, suddenly unenthused. He briefly considered releasing Seto's hand.

"It feels like you. Posters on the walls hung up with thumb tacks." He pointed. There were two, large American rock band posters with English scrawled all over them in a funky font. The third poster was promoting the new Kaiba Corp Duel Disk Extra that was to be released in October. Seto smiled a little at that. "Do you want one?" Seto asked him. Jou shook his head. "I'll buy my own. Thanks anyway."

"Stubborn," Seto mumbled and got a playful punch from Jou. Seto smiled at that.

Seto pointed to the rickety brown dresser that had two photographs on top of it set in black frames. "I knew you'd have something like that in your room." The first photo was a group shot taken when the "Geek Squad" had all gotten together years ago. It was a formal shot with everyone standing like soldiers and grinning broadly on the front steps of the school. Seto noticed that Jou's arm was around Yugi in a kind of boyish headlock. Seto's heart hurt a little at that, but he tried to ignore it. The second photo was a picture of the two of them that was taken by Mokuba with his new digital camera. It was an informal photo of them sitting in front of the coffee table with their stacks of Duel Monsters cards. Jounouchi was pointing out a card and Seto was leaning in next to him to see better, his hand resting on Jou's shoulder. Although it was only a glance at his companion, the photo showed happiness in Jou's eyes.

"Then there's…the laundry basket…a pile of clean, rolled socks over there," Seto looked at the floor.

"I know…I know you like a clean room," Jou grumbled with a little impatience. Seto was constantly nagging him to use the hamper each morning.

"Hmmm…I've never seen 'camouflage' Y-fronts before," Seto murmured, pointing to the pair hanging over the edge of the laundry basket.

Jounouchi punched him in the arm in embarrassment. "Ugh! You would notice that!"

There was a sexy laugh. "Model them for me? I could, of course, make a comment that you bought them so that no one could see you coming…but that would be crude and out of character for me," the brunette teased. He could feel Jounouchi chuckling silently next to him, an embarrassed face buried into his shoulder now.

"There's…mangas on the floor," Seto continued, leaning over the edge of the bed to pick up one.

"Uh, don't-bother-with-that!" Jou ran the words together. He was turning a deep crimson for a reason other than crying. He snatched it out of Seto's hand.

"A hard core doujinshi?" Seto laughed mischievously, glancing at the suggestive title. "Really? How many of these do you have?" He leaned over for another one and Jou pushed him back down on the bed. He was blood red now, eyes wide and worried. "Those are _old…really old_," Jou mumbled, "and mostly Honda's."

"_Mostly?_ Hmmm….So? Who are the characters?" Seto asked, needling Jou again and taking great delight in the blond puppy hiding the doujinshi manga under the covers.

"It was after Mai left, and Honda wanted me to get interested in girls again."

"Mai, the blond 'boob-ette' who wore break-away blouses made of dental floss, left you?"

"Actually…truthfully…we kind of left each other," Jou admitted lamely. "I guess, wanting her was…I dunno…what was expected. But actually having her was something else. And I knew that she'd never stay with me for very long."

_Sorry, Jounouchi… That last part is probably the whole truth—no matter what you way._

"I'm terrible, ain't I?" A fake smile was running away from his face. Jou watched the ceiling for a bit.

Seto shrugged. "I just assumed that you were like me. Sex is what you have. It isn't who you are."

Jou turned back and laughed with his chin pointed to the ceiling, and Seto felt himself getting defensive because what he said was what he truly thought.

"No, sorry," Jou chuckled before Seto could get out another word. "That's just the typical 'Seto-ish' way of looking at the world. I really wish I could be more like you sometimes."

"Hmmm…more like me?"

"Yeah," he said almost as a sigh and rested his head against Seto again. "Good looking. Powerful. Strong. Confident. More like you…but don't quote me or I'll deny it." Then, he playfully rolled on top of the brunette and smiled broadly with white teeth. Seto raised an eyebrow.

_Sorry, Jou, we're as alike as bookends. But, I'm okay with that, too._

"You're good looking," Seto said. "Though, I think you were just fishing for a complement."

The puppy grinned happily, kissed him on the nose, and then flopped back down next to him.

_He's so warm. I love that._ Jou snuggled in.

The nose kiss ticked a little bit. He rubbed at the spot. "Finally, there's this bed by the window. My theory is that you like to lie in bed and look at the stars. It's the kind of romantic thing you'd do." Seto turned his face to look at Jou's profile.

"The moon," Jou corrected. "I like it because it's different every night."

"And another thing…"

"Oh?" Jou asked.

"You know, this bed smells like you."

Jounouchi's eyes shot open wide. "You have got to be kidding me," Jou said with worry. _He's always calling me "mutt." This bed can't smell like one!_ He put the pillow to his nose. "I just changed these sheets a few days ago and, maybe, slept on them once." He cast a wiggly eyebrow in Seto's direction. "Somehow, I keep sleeping over at your house." He mumbled the last part.

"No, I'm not complaining. I mean that the bed smells like your skin."

"Oh, I see…" Jou relaxed again down on his bed and, this time, Seto held him closely with strong arms—wrapping the length of his body against him. Their bodies cupped, they both faced the window now.

Seto leaned in and kissed Jou's neck. "This bed…it's a kind of spicy, male scent." He nuzzled the neck softly.

"If you say so," Jou said back, enjoying the feeling. Being held in strong arms felt safe and loved. Nothing else was like it.

"And I'm glad that you're not crying anymore."

"Me, too," Jounouchi said. "You hate it when I cry and…"

"And…?"

"…Won't kiss me."

"That does bother me…deep down. It's true," he said softly. Then, Seto looked out the window and saw the sun getting lower in the sky.

"You know, I think it's time," Seto whispered quietly.

"Time?" Jou blinked back. _What exactly does he mean by "time?" Does he think it's time…we…ummm…together…?_

"It's alright, isn't it?" Seto asked seductively, kissing his neck softly.

Jounouchi, heart beating hard, nodded "yes." "But, here…? I can't. It just feels wrong somehow."

"Oh, not here," Seto murmured back, nuzzling Jou's neck. He was pleased to hear Jou make a soft inhale when he nipped gently.

"Really?" A little relief was spreading across Jou's face now.

"And you'll need protection," Seto said, "So, I'll put the helmet on you."

_Protection? Wha-? Did he just say 'helmet'?_ _Eh???_

"Because of possible injury," Seto said, frowning.

"Wait! What?" He sat up in bed—eyes wide.

"Put your arms around me. You'll be fine."

"No, that part, I don't have a problem with. But….um…"

Seto looked at him suspiciously. "Is there an issue? You look worried."

"Uhhhh…No." _What the hell is he…?_

"But, you've been on the back on my Triumph before. In fact, you know how to drive a motorcycle. I've seen your license. So, what's the problem?" Seto demanded.

"You came in on the motorcycle…_right_…" Jou sighed the last word with the light bulb turning on in his head.

"Yes, the Triumph. And it's just dinner. You are so strange sometimes." Seto mumbled the last part. "Regardless," Seto went on, casting one last annoyed look, "I don't think it's a good idea to stay here too long. Like I told you on the way home from the hospital, Namiko broke in here before. So, I think we should leave soon."

"Yeah, 'leave' in more ways than one."

Seto looked at him again, slightly confused.

"Remember? Dad wants me to move out." He cast his eyes around the room. "I'll have to come back soon and pack what I need—clothes, photos, Duel Monsters cards... What I'm not taking, I'll just box up and give to charity. I think I can ditch my American rock posters and junk I saved from elementary school under my bed."

He cast an eye at Seto. "And I'm not moving in with you permanently until you ask me…after graduation."

Seto nodded. _But where can he really go? For now, it's safest that he's with me. But, in time, where will he go?_ Seto flashed a worried look but tried to hide it. "Agreed. Actually, I'm looking forward to asking you right after the graduation ceremony—when you're in your graduation uniform. After that, we can hire a designer and redecorate our bedroom," Seto smirked at the last part.

"Wait, I thought it was just 'our bed.' Now, it's 'our bedroom?'" He sounded amused.

"Well," Seto said casually, "the bed has to stay. But, I think I can get rid of the rest when you move in."

_Seto, that room has very little in it as it is. It's too neat…too clean…too perfect… and a little lonely. But, it really is you._

"Actually, I like it the way it is," Jounouchi said and watched a self-satisfied 'Seto smirk' out of the corner of his eye. _That made him happy. Good._ Jou continued, "but do you think we can get the artist who painted your Blue Eyes White Dragon portrait to paint a Red Eyes Black Dragon for me?"

"Of course," Seto said. There was a confident glow that Jou slightly envied. "Now, I really think it's time to go."

Jou nodded at him and rolled off the bed. He picked up his jacket off the floor—starting to leave. Then, Seto reached over, pulled out the doujinshi from under the bed linens, and opened it.

"Honda gave you _this_?" Seto said. He flipped pages and made faces. "Worse yet, you actually _read_ these… Oh, revolting, this one…! Whoa… You know, thanks to these, you might be a little more knowledgeable than I am…"

Jou looked down at the floor, blushing furiously. His neck and the back of his hands were the same way, too. _More knowledgeable…? Ugh! I felt better when I thought he was…!_

"Oi, Puppy?" He looked up to see Jou spacing out and tomato red. His eyes had little swirls in them. Seto smirked openly, chestnut hair tossed to one side. "Wouldn't this drawing turn you off of girls forever?" He opened to the centerfold. It was a drawing of an excessively large, pointy-breasted, mostly nude manga character dressed in a transparent apron and licking a portabella mushroom with an agonized look on her face. Seto opened it wide and into Jou's face. "And don't blame me. It just opened to this page all by itself. Why is that?"

"Can we leave now?" Jou's mouth was a thin line.

"What's this one called?" He poured over the title. "Oh, yes… It's called 'Cooking with Kyoko.' Was there a sequel?"

"Under the pile of socks," Jounouchi grunted. "It's called… ummm… 'Kyoko…Gets…Skewered'."

"I see… But don't you want to _return_ all of these to Honda?" Seto said, with eyebrows raised in mock innocence. "Better yet, let me do it."

"Seto, no! I'll do anything! _Just don't_."

"You'll do anything, huh?"

Weakly Jounouchi agreed. "Yeah." He gave a slight bow, too. "You have me. I'll do anything you want."

"I have you, huh? Good," Seto smirked, "Then, I'll get back with you on it."

* * *


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20—

She had him plastered against the wall, her forearm against his windpipe. Namiko was crushing it slowly with a seductive smile on her face. This felt good to her.

"Name?" she purred.

"H-Honda." He dearly wanted to swallow, but even the thought was painful to him.

"Exactly why were you walking with Katsuya-kun?" She leaned in closely to his ear. She nibbled at the lobe and could feel Honda shake a little. Whether it was from pleasure or fear, it didn't matter to her. They were in an alleyway not far from where Yuna got stabbed. Honda was on his way to school when a hand, from out of nowhere, grabbed him. He was half-dragged down one alley and into another. Totally shocked, he simply went along with it. But, this sexy "dream girl" was now a nightmare.

An unshaven homeless man in a dingy ski jacket walked into the alley, saw Namiko all over Honda, thought the better of it, and shuffled off. Namiko watched him go with a smirk on her face. She pressed in closer and licked his cheek.

"I know Jounouchi," he mumbled back. His eyes looked straight ahead of him—into the brickwork across from them. Right now, Honda knew other things, too. He knew that he was between some buildings, against a dirty brick wall with graffiti spray painted on it and the whole place had the filthy stench of rotting eggs rising from the trash bins.

"It seemed to me that you know him pretty well." Namiko repositioned herself and pressed her knee against Honda's crotch. "Explain," she said quietly, pressing the knee in.

Honda's heart was pumping hard now. "I don't understand the question." He really didn't and Namiko was becoming more persistent as time passed. He glanced down at his school things. Did he have anything that he could use as a weapon? Nope, school rules saw to that. And he forgot his cell phone when he left the house that morning. _What am I going to do?_ He grimaced when he felt the knee grinding in harder.

"Let me explain so that an imbecile as dumb as you can understand." She kneed him hard in the happy sack and Honda staggered. She pulled him up by his shirt, her hand still cutting off air around his throat. He gagged and she gripped his face, forcing him to look at her. Her tone was aggressive and cruel. "I'm trying to decide what you are to Katsuya-kun—friend or boyfriend? He probably sleeps around, though. Blonds are known to do that."

At the word "friend," she noticed that Honda's eyes looked almost sad. At the word "boyfriend," he seemed to be looking a little green.

"Do I look gay?" he squeaked out.

Namiko's eyes raked Honda up and down. "Dorky hair. Thin body with a girlish waist. Not exactly the deepest voice I've ever heard. Weak. You practically skipped down the alley with me earlier…" A smile came to her face. "Okay, to make you feel better, let's just say you…could pass for…a hetero." Her sharp teeth shined.

"Oh, hell," Honda breathed.

"Deep down, you want him," she teased, "so go ahead and admit it."

"He's my friend!" Honda growled.

"Finally, an honest answer," Namiko said and bit into his earlobe—making him wince in pain.

"That hurt!" he complained and struggled to get away from her. Namiko took his wrist, found a pressure point, and pushed hard. "Hell!" he screamed.

Her eyes danced. "Scream again for me."

"What kind of mental case are you? Just let me go!"

She pinned Honda in, grabbed his small finger, and twisted it until she heard a popping sound.

"Crap!" he yelled. "Oh, hell! Stop it." He wanted to double over in pain.

"I don't think you could strike me back, even if you wanted to—little prick. And I've killed better men for less, by the way." Her eyes glittered again. This time, Honda believed her and leaned his head against the brick wall even though his finger hurt like hell.

"You see, I'm going to make you wish that I'd just killed you here," she said, leaning in for a kiss. _What is she doing? There's no way I'm gonna kiss her._ He kept his lips together. Then, Honda felt Namiko biting on his lip—making it bleed a little. When he gasped in pain, she had his mouth. She kissed him passionately after that. His skin crawled when he could feel the wetness in his mouth.

Namiko heard footsteps coming down the alley. She pulled away and wiped the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand. Honda, still pinned back, had a hard time just breathing now and felt faint.

"Taka-san," Namiko said without taking her eyes off of Honda.

"So, you're the famous 'Namiko' from the note."

"Namiko!" Honda's eyes looked frightened. Jounouchi had told him all about her.

"I see my reputation has been going around. I'm glad that I inspire you." She leaned her head against Honda, and he shuddered. Namiko grabbed him around the collar and dragged him toward the four yakuza that were now standing before them.

"Taka-san, this is Honda," she yanked Honda forward. "He's a close friend of some people who owe you money. I'm sure he can tell you anything you need to know."

Taka, the high school aged yakuza, smiled knowingly. This was going to be fun. "We'll be glad to take him off of your hands." He used a very familiar "anata" when he spoke to her. He flirted slightly, adding a wink. Namiko eyed him and wondered briefly if Taka would make a nice toy to play with. Something she could put her claws into. Nope, he had his older "yakuza playmates" with him. So, she might try another time—maybe.

"How," Honda said in a shaky voice, "do you know she's telling the truth?"

There was a look of concern on two of them now. Honda could see it. He smiled openly.

"He's just trying to get away," Namiko said and punched Honda in the face hard enough to leave a mark. He took the blow and groaned. She laughed at him. "But, he's weak, too. The weakest one of the bunch."

Honda glared back angrily, "This bitch is Namiko—world class liar and she doesn't care who she hurts as long as she gets her way."

Taka grabbed Honda by the collar and shoved him toward his companions. Honda stumbled to stay on his feet. Taka said, "You should be saying, 'that's Namiko the molester.' She does other odd jobs on the side. Let's just say she has contacts with us. So, for right now, her word is better than yours." His laugh was condescending. "It's a good thing she didn't do more damage." Honda glared back. "But, don't worry…we will."

Taka gave a rolled up wad of cash to Namiko. "You saved us a little time. I appreciate it." He touched her hand briefly when the money was placed in it. She lowered her head in modesty, but flashed him an almost feral look. It disappeared as quickly. Taka, his back to his cohorts, clearly liked it.

She bowed low to them saying, "An honor for Voice of the East." A smirk came to her face. _I wonder if you know that I'm very much aware of your activities. Should your big boss find out that you and your three friends are using your gang name and contacts for your own personal use… And with the cameras I have set up in this alley, I've got it all on video, too._

Namiko bowed again and took off.

* * *

The limo began to roll away from the gates of the mansion—slow but steady.

Wiping sleep out of his eyes, Jounouchi leaned in toward the driver. "Just drop me off at the usual spot. And take," he winked back at Seto, "'Kaiba-sama' to school. Thanks." Jou pushed a button and rolled up the privacy window.

"Kaiba-sama?" Seto murmured at the name while surfing the Internet with his phone. "Since when do we use honorifics?"

"That's what the man calls you," he returned with a yawn.

Seto looked at Jounouchi with a slightly bored expression. "I almost always keep it down. Why roll the window up?"

"I just like it up," Jou said and leaned back in the seat, his head against the leather headrest. "Well, actually, I do have an ulterior motive." Jounouchi leaned next to Seto in the seat. He put his head on Seto's shoulder and rested a hand on his thigh. "I just didn't sleep well last night. I mean, I got to bed early—before you finished your last minute reports—but I couldn't stay asleep. I just spent most of the night listening to you snore. I'm fuzzy now."

"I don't snore." This, Seto felt was going to be the beginning of more good-natured bickering, but it was too early in the morning for it. And he felt more than just a little grumpy.

"Okay, Seto. Whatever you say." No banter. No disagreements. There was only soft breathing.

For a second, Seto thought about turning the limo around and leaving Jou in bed for the day. But, they really needed to be at school—to keep their routine in public—and meet up with Yugi and Anzu. Seto's stern eyes were also following the hand that was sliding up his thigh with each bump in the road that they hit.

They hit a large bump and the blond's face came toward him. The hand was now resting lightly _somewhere rather personal_, and Seto removed the hand only to find a snoring puppy on his shoulder.

"Jounouchi," he sighed, still holding hands with the blond. Seto stopped surfing the Internet and closed his phone with a thick "click."

There was a soft moan. "Hold me?" Jounouchi murmured, breathing quietly against him—in and out. He snuggled in.

"Let's get you some coffee. I don't care if we end up late for school." Seto pushed Jounouchi back in the seat a little. At that, the blond startled awake. There was a brief flash of fear as Jou had forgotten where he was when he dozed off. Jou raised an arm as if to protect himself from some unseen enemy. Then, he realized where he was. He squinted over at Seto, "Sorry, I don't know… What was I...? Forget it." He ran his fingers nervously through blond hair. It was embarrassing.

"For you, I'll forget it, then."

Jounouchi smiled shyly. "Thanks, Seto."

Seto rolled down the window. "There's been a slight change in plans. We need to stop off and get coffee from the Starbucks across from the post office." The driver nodded and Seto rolled up the window again.

Jounouchi blinked wearily at him. Then, his eyes widened as he felt Seto grab him and pull him into his lap.

"S-Seto?" Jou said, feeling much more awake now.

"You said to 'hold you' and I will until we get the coffee you need. Until then, you'll stay right here."

Jou could feel strong arms around him. They were pressing against the freshly starched new school uniform that Seto had bought for him.

"I'm so selfish," Jou yawned but felt a glow coming to him.

"Yes, you are," Seto agreed, "do you have any idea where your hand was just a minute ago?"

"H-Hand?" Jou was very awake now. "Nah, you're making that up." There was a pink tinge to his face now. Seto found it appealing.

"I can demonstrate for you…if you'd like." Seto lowered his voice for that one, his head cocked to one side and a trademark smirk coming to his face.

"I'm…sorry?" Jou said, a little nervous.

"No, you're not."

"I really am," Jou mumbled with his head down a little, "because I wish I had been awake to remember it."

* * *

Anzu had gotten up early. She cooked a breakfast of steamed rice, miso, and grilled fish for them both. She called to Yugi who responded with a muffled "Okay!" from brushing his teeth. As she set the table, she thought that married life must be like this. Now, she was feeling torn—between her dream of being a dancer in America and her warm feelings for Yugi. Of course, there was only one road she would take and she could, clearly, not have both dreams.

Anzu was still thinking about it as they were walking to school. She carried her school things lightly. Yugi did the same with his gakuesi-kaban (leather briefcase/"student's bag") that most male Japanese students carried slung over a shoulder, one handed.

"What do you want to do with you life, Yugi?" she asked as they headed for school.

"I dunno. I guess…well…I'll go to the university. I got my acceptance letter last month, remember?"

"Yeah, we celebrated that, didn't we? But, I meant beyond that…beyond Duel Monsters tournaments, too."

"I'll probably play it by ear for awhile." He smiled at her. He didn't want to plan his life out too far ahead.

"What do you want to do?"

"I'm not sure. I'm like you, I guess…"

"Oh, come on Anzu," Yugi said brightly, "you want to go to America and dance. I think you should go for it. And your English is pretty good, too! So, you should have an easy time of it."

She smiled at him. "Yeah, but…well… I'll miss you."

Yugi shook his head sadly for a minute. "Yes, I'll miss you, too. But, we'll write and call. And, I'll always be yours…because that's the way we've always been."

She looked at Yugi as they walked. _But, now, I want both you and my dancing. I'm not sure how I can do that. If I can do that… Maybe I'll hold onto you for as long as I can and…I dunno…figure out the rest._

As they passed by an apartment building, Anzu noticed two men in long sleeved shirts and dress pants following them.

"Yugi," she whispered without turning her head, "did Kaiba-kun assign any of his people to watch us?"

"I'm not sure. Why?"

"Because," she said feeling sick, "we've got two men behind us. And they don't exactly look like Kaiba-kun's people." As they walked, two men quickly became four. And Yugi looked worriedly at her.

"You know what to do now, right?"

"Yeah, RUN for it!"

Running with their books was awkward, but they did it. They took a left and started heading toward downtown. Half way down a block, it occurred to Anzu that they should have just dropped their books when they were heading off. But, probably, they were so used to carrying them that it was just natural. Then again, she could swing Yugi's book bag pretty hard if she needed to.

"Oi! Down that way!" One of the men called to the others.

Suddenly, Yugi pulled Anzu into an alley and they hid behind a green and white recycling bin. Footsteps tromped by and they waited a minute before going back the way they'd come. Staying on the streets, in full sight of possible witnesses, was their best bet.

As this was early morning and they'd ended up running to the far edge of downtown, there were very few businesses open and, consequently, very few people. Yugi was hoping to find a convenience store or some place that would have people, video cameras, anything to show who they were and who was following them. More to the point, he was getting tired pretty quickly. He needed a rest. Now, Anzu had him by the hand and was pulling him along. She heard more voices calling to each other behind them. She dragged Yugi to the right. They couldn't cross the street—the light was against them, they'd be seen again, and there were garbage trucks rambling by followed by a delivery van. She pulled him along and Yugi couldn't resist the temptation to look behind him.

"Don't look _back_," Anzu hissed at him, working her legs as hard as she could. Okay, so dancing training was coming in handy now. "You'll only slow down. Here! This way!"

She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw another person about half a block ahead. He was of high school age and had his hands in his pockets. He was wearing black jeans, a blue striped dress shirt with long sleeves and a white collar. The blue color emphasized his shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes. What worried Anzu was the little fang that seemed to be hanging out of his mouth and the "oh you are mine" evil grin on his face. Instantly, Anzu recognized him as the yakuza she saw in the coffee shop.

"Oi, Taka? Do ya see 'em?" a voice called from somewhere. They guy turned his head when his name was called.

"This way!" Anzu said, pulling Yugi into the nearest door. She didn't even bother to see what business it was. The fact that she could actually get inside—where people were—made her happy.

They were both in the lobby of a small hotel. Well, actually, it was a cheesy little hotel and Anzu took Yugi by the hand again and pulled him into a small room where the ice machine was. It rattled hard and covered the sound of their breathing.

The teen following them walked around the lobby. Anzu saw him and ducked back. Yugi stared at her with wide eyes. Both of them were red in the face from running, still leaning forward, and breathing hard.

A middle aged Chinese woman with a maid's cart walked down the hall. She had a crisp, white uniform and a white, triangular scarf over her dark hair. The maid was rearranging the tower of toilet paper that was threatening to roll off the cart when she glanced into the room with the ice machine.

"Oh, not here," she said, looking at them with their blushing red faces. She'd seen this all before. _Young love,_ she thought to herself. Yes, they were kids. But, at least, they weren't _her kids_. So, she didn't care who they were or what they were planning on doing. But, from the red faces, she could guess that they felt bad about getting caught. "Go this way," she said, and Yugi and Anzu followed her.

The woman stopped before a display panel. In a happy font with Japanese characters, the display panel said: **Gang Snowman #5 Love Hotel**. The woman wandered away as they began reading:

_Available rooms are lit up. Darkened rooms are occupied. Please select the room that interests you the most. The cost is __¥12,000 ($120) per couple. One couple per room, please. Once you have made your selection, please pay at the counter._

"Oh my gosh!" Yugi said with violet eyes bulging out of his head. "This is a love hotel!" He suddenly lost all ability to reason. His jaw had hit the floor.

Anzu turned her eyes to the glassed in front door. Luckily, it had a mirrored tint to it to match the lovely pink, puce, and mirrored themes going on in the place. She could see three of the four men who were following them wandering aimlessly outside.

_Where is that fourth guy? Is he still in here somewhere? _Her eyes turned back to Yugi.

"What if they decide to check in here again?" Anzu asked, feeling frightened. "It may be the only place open, so they'd have to check in here again."

"We could just ask someone who works here to help us," Yugi said hopefully.

"They are yakuza! They are trouble! And we don't know who to trust."

"Eh?"

"Exactly what kind of 'businesses' do you think yakuza run?" She said to Yugi with panic in her voice.

"Dunno, really… I don't watch yakuza movies."

Anzu smacked a hand against her forehead.

Suddenly, Yugi saw one of the men coming to the door. The stranger placed his hand on the handle. He flicked a cigarette onto the ground, near one of the other's feet. There was a brief argument outside about it.

"We have to hide!" Anzu said, hit her hand on the nearest glowing panel and the light went off. A small card dropped down. Anzu took it and dragged Yugi with her to the front counter.

"But, but…Anzu? Love…love…h-hotel…" He just couldn't wrap his mind around the place where he was.

The clerk, a Japanese man in his early fifties, yawned at them. Yes, they looked a little young to be coming in but, what if they really weren't high school students? _People get their jollies from dressing up, I guess,_ the clerk thought.

At the sound of the door opening, Anzu whipped out the cash she'd been saving up from her birthday and placed it on the counter. The clerk gave them a room number written on a card.

"The elevator will take you to room 220. Stay as long as you can hold out." He winked at Yugi who stared back in absolute terror.

Footsteps. Anzu heard footsteps coming from the direction where she knew the ice machine room was. _That's where that guy is! He's still inside. Oh, no!_ Quickly, Anzu dragged Yugi behind her into the elevator and up they went. As the doors closed, they could hear voices on the other side of the doors.

"Yeah, has anybody seen two kids—a pointy haired blond and a girl with brown hair?" The voice was more of a growl.

"In this job," the clerk laughed, "I make a point not to notice anybody." Then he eyed the four men. The clerk knew how to give people the wiggly eyebrow and make them uncomfortable enough to leave. And these guys looked like trouble.

"Nah, screw you," one of them said.

The voices faded away. Then Anzu and Yugi's elevator moved up another floor and stopped.

"Should we go in?" Yugi asked cautiously.

"Well, we can't leave. What if they're watching the building?"

Yugi nodded. "So…umm…give me the key." He said it nervously with his hand out. He begged his hand not to shake, but it did so on its own.

"I can't! There is no key. But the light above room 220 is on. I guess that means we can go in."

The knob turned easily and both Yugi and Anzu entered the love hotel room--peeking in first and feeling very self-conscious.

The room was decorated in a western theme. It had a western styled bed at one end with Indian blankets as a bedspread. There was a television directly across from the bed, a door that went into the private bath, and, on the left, there was a mechanical bull.

_Well,_ Anzu thought, _it could have been worse. I saw a Hello Kitty room on the panel along with a video arcade room where there was a whole new meaning to the word "joystick."_

"Whoa! How cool is that?!" Yugi said, running up to the mechanical bull. He examined the controls. Sure enough, it was in working order. He turned it on to "low." The bull began to rock slowly. Then, it spun around.

Meanwhile, Anzu stood planted to the spot. Her face was a thin line. _Does he not understand why this thing is here? Sheesh!_

"Oi, let's take turns!" Yugi got on the bull and slid back and forth until he caught on to exactly which part of the bull that he was to take hold of. "You know, Anzu," he said shakily while struggling to hold on, "there's enough room for both of us on this thing!"

"Clueless," she muttered, examining the riding crop and lengths of rope that were attached to the bed. She found a lasso and thought, briefly, that they could use these as weapons or something should the yakuza find them. Then, she went to the window, opened the blinds a crack and looked down. Two of the men who were following them were hanging around outside, smoking cigarettes. _This is bad,_ she thought.

After a good ten minute ride on the mechanical bull, Yugi decided to jump off. He was out of breath and smiling. It was just too much fun, but he had wished that Anzu had given it a shot. Then, it dawned on him that riding the highly polished, leather covered mechanical bull while wearing a skirt could be somewhat embarrassing. So, he decided to be understanding.

"Are they still outside now?" Yugi asked.

Anzu peeked again. "Yes and this means that we're going to be missing school today. And," she said while looking around, "if we both show up at school late, people are gonna talk about us. And if anybody sees us walking out of here…well… You know what I mean?" She looked worried. "Well, not that I care what people think about us..." Her voice faded off.

Yugi looked down with sad, violet eyes. "Yeah, and I'm not the best looking guy in the world, either. So, that can't be good." He fiddled with the squirt gun that was on the dresser. It was loaded with some sort of liquid that had a strange viscosity and warmed to the touch.

"Oh, no!" Anzu said. "That's not what I meant at all. And, you know, I really enjoy being with you. Even in a place as…strange… as this." She laughed at herself. She would be _so dead_ if her family found out about this. She sat down on the edge of the bed.

Yugi nodded. He sat down next to her. Yugi didn't believe one word she said, but it was nice of her to lie for his ego anyway. Maybe the few times that they kissed really meant nothing to Anzu, but it was everything to him. And, thanks to their talk this morning, he decided that it would be best to get used to the idea of Anzu walking her own path away from him after graduation. Yugi decided to enjoy her company for as long as she wanted to be with him. Still, it was hard to ignore the fact that both he and Atem loved Anzu very much. But, if Anzu was gone from his life for good, he had a feeling that Atem would understand. In both life and in death, he still had Atem.

_This is no time to be thinking of sad things._

"Oi, let's watch TV," he said brightly while picking up the remote next to him.

"No, Yugi! Wait!"

It was too late. The television flicked on and there was a couple on the screen. Their naughty bits had been digitized out, as was Japanese custom, and they were moaning passionately in the style of "Bad Acting 101." Cheesy but loud. Unfortunately, this kind of thing was on every channel. He flicked desperately to find something else—with no luck. Yugi's hand shot to his nose. He tossed the remote to Anzu and walked quietly to the bathroom. The door slammed behind him.

* * *

Seto opened his locker and rummaged through it. Jounouchi's locker was further down the hall but Seto had motioned him over. They tried to look like they were having a casual conversation, but Jou could feel Seto's fangirls burning a "hate hole" into his back.

"We're being watched by your fan club," Jou said.

"Ignore them," he said smoothly. Seto reached in for his books and notepad for next period.

"If you say so."

"Speaking of 'say so,' I'm glad that you enjoyed your coffee this morning."

"It was good," the blond said, turning his face away a little. He didn't want the fangirls to see a smile. "Thanks." He wanted to say "Seto." Jou loved saying his name now. But, at school, he usually avoided saying "Seto" at all costs. Calling him that in front of the fangirls would cause all sorts of jealous rumors to start.

"I'm glad that you let me take care of you." Seto's eyes were sincere. His memory flashed back to Jou being startled awake in the limo. Jounouchi's eyes were fearful and he'd been the cause. Not on purpose, mind you, but he'd done it nonetheless. Seto closed his locker door easily. "I know that had to be hard because you've been looking after yourself for a long time now."

Jounouchi's thoughts were far away for a second—remembering. Seto could see it but decided school was a bad place to pry.

"Yeah," Jou breathed. "Oh, changing the subject… I haven't seen Yugi or Anzu today."

"Do you think they're absent?"

"I'm just hoping that they made it to school, and that I just keep missing them in the hall or something."

"Maybe, they missed school for a _reason_?" Seto hinted. But he didn't enjoy needling Jou as much as he thought he would when he saw the blond frown.

"And if the _reason_ is a bad one…?" Jou let that question hang in the air. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen Honda since…Yuna was…" Jou clutched his books to his chest. He didn't even realize his knuckles had turned white. "Oh, hell… I'm doing it again, ain't I?"

Seto turned his back to the fangirls—blocking their view of him and Jou. They stood shoulder to shoulder. He spoke low and quietly. "No matter how long it takes, I'll be here to help you and Mokuba—who keeps waking up in the night and sleeping on the couch."

"I didn't know that," Jou said, concern on his face now. Seto could see it.

"That was one of the reasons why I was up so late last night—typing in the living room instead of my study. Mokuba made three trips to the couch to be with me when he woke up."

"Well, tonight, we can let him sleep in the bed with you. I'll take one of the spare bedrooms," Jou said back.

"He needs to sleep in his own bed," Seto said wisely. "He's safe with us. Right?" Blue eyes looked at him sincerely. "The three of us will get through this. We're a family after all."

_A family…? I guess, once I move in for good, that's what we'll be._

Jou nodded with a wry smile. And, as scared as he was at the moment, belonging to them, being an unofficial "Kaiba," felt good.

* * *

Yugi and Anzu arrived for school two hours late. The yakuza had gotten bored of hanging out in front of the love hotel, and getting propositioned by their big boss' prozzies, so they decided to leave.

Yugi was in the nurse's office, claiming that he was sick and light headed. It was kind of the truth, from a certain point of view. The nurse, seeing that Anzu was okay, sent her on to class.

Jounouchi poked his head in quickly after the last bell.

"Yuge, are you okay? When you didn't show up for school, I was worried. But Anzu told me where you were last period. She just didn't say why."

"Oh, hi!" he tried to sound bright.

"So, what's wrong with ya?"

"Blood loss," he mumbled.

"Wha-? Sorry, I didn't get that," Jou said.

Yugi briefly thought about Jou and Kaiba kissing in the hallway and held back a tart thought in his head about his best friend "getting it."

"Headache," he lied. Well, no, it wasn't exactly a lie. When he stood up, he had a dull throb that kept coming from somewhere.

"Okay," Jou said, "are you going to feel well enough to come by Seto's after school?"

"Yeah," Yugi said and waved a weak "goodbye" to his friend when he disappeared to go to math class. He leaned back and looked at the white, stained suspended ceiling.

_Not long ago, I was in a love hotel with Anzu…and __nothing__ happened,_ he lamented now that he was totally alone with his headache. _I hope that Atem didn't see all of that from where he is. He'd probably laugh at me. She always preferred him anyway. Still, it was a love hotel. I can honestly say that I've been in one of those._ Suddenly, his nose started feeling warm at the thought of the hotel bed and the suggestive television shows. _Oh, no! I can't have a nosebleed here_, he worried. _I'd never live it down! Gotta do something. Hell!_ He repeated to himself over and over, "Think of Honda in a green thong. Think of Honda in a green thong." The warm nose feeling was going away. His body relaxed. "I wonder if he bikini waxes? He'd better or he'd look like a fuzzy kiwi." Almost back to normal. Yes, he suddenly felt much better until he realized that a very "stunned" nurse was standing in the doorway the whole time.

"Um…Yugi-kun? Is there _something_ you'd like to discuss with me? Questions, maybe?"

His violet eyes got big and round. "Ummm…well that is….uh…no

* * *


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21—

Jounouchi had been sitting in the chair by Yuna's side for over an hour now. He didn't mind, really. But he kept hoping that Yuna would open her eyes. He held her small, cold hand—believing that the heat from his would warm it up.

Mr. Satou had promised that Jou and Mokuba could see Yuna when she woke up. But, she didn't. She kept sleeping and that, alone, worried the doctors. So, obviously, Mr. Satou never called Jounouchi. Nevertheless, Jounouchi decided that it was best to stop by anyway in the hopes of seeing her. He made his "black sunglasses guard" (which Seto now demanded when they were not together) wait outside. And, not long after entering the room, Jou managed to convince Mr. Satou to go home, shower, change clothes, and come back. His excuse of "Yuna would be really upset to see you all disheveled and with dark circles under your eyes" really worked. They both knew that she was the "worrying kind" and a "daddy's girl" at heart. In return, Jou would watch Yuna, and he'd call on the cell phone if she woke up.

Yuna was in the bed with a saline solution IV drip. Her skin was unnaturally white and cool. Jounouchi took the chair next to her. And, before he really knew it, he was holding her hand. It just felt natural.

"Do you want to watch television?"

No answer. Her face was peaceful.

"I'll take that as a 'yes' until you tell me differently."

He was about to turn the TV on when the door opened again. It was his "guard" checking up on him. "Ummm…do ya need anything, boss?"

Jou flinched at the word "boss," but understood why it was said that way. "Yeah, could ya get me a cup of coffee?"

"Sure thing. I'm about to go off duty and Ito is here to take my place. So, I'll just grab the drink and be right back." The man looked at Jou holding Yuna's hand and seemed a little sad for her.

_That's right. He was the one guarding Mokuba when Yuna got stabbed. He saw it all from across the street._

A minute later, the man came back with a coffee and Jou thanked him.

Jounouchi was still holding Yuna's hand when Seto walked in. As usual, he simply strode in. There was no "knocking" or the usual Japanese "excuse me, I'm intruding" (ojama shimasu / おじゃまします｡) that most Japanese use before entering a room or office. He just walked in.

"Seto," Jounouchi said with a slight sigh. He was glad to see his better half and smiled a little with his face down. "Yuna," he said turning to her, "you remember Kaiba-sama. Don't you?"

She didn't open her eyes.

Seto looked at Jou a little worriedly. It was stupid to talk to someone who was clearly out of it.

"Well, I'm sure you do," he continued with a sad smile. "You know Mokuba and me well enough—and, then, there's 'Kaiba-sama' from our stories. Oh, that's right. You did meet him once a long time ago."

With that, Seto's eyebrows shot up.

"Oh, really? And just what kind of _stories_ would those be?" He seemed to be getting annoyed rather easily today.

"The usual," Jou said with his hand clutching Yuna's, "what you do, where you work, how you're a great student, nice motorcycle…" None of that sounded bad to Seto. So, he decided to lose interest in it. He looked around the private room instead.

"Have you told your boss yet?"

"Nope," Jou said with an unusually sneaky smile on his face. "I thought I'd let him find out later."

"Well, he's going to be surprised to find out that his medical bills don't exist."

Jounouchi laughed. "No, I think he's going to be floored to find out that his medical bills were all paid by Mokuba with the allowance he's been saving up."

Seto openly smirked at the thought of what Mr. Satou's face would look like at the moment he realized that a thirteen year old child had dropped that much yen.

"He'll owe us big time. So, he'll just have to let us bring Yuna-chan over for dinner some night," Jou said with a chuckle. "By the way, how much is Mokuba's allowance every week?"

"Do you really want to know that?"

The smile ran away from Jou's face. It was puckered and scrunched up now. They were talking about a child with no chores, no work (other than bringing home good grades), and a limo at his disposal 24/7. "Ummm…no."

Seto decided to hide his smile, considering their circumstances at the moment, by running his fingers through his chestnut hair. "I thought so."

"Oh, do me a favor?" Jou asked.

Seto raised an eyebrow. Sometimes, it was hard to tell if Jounouchi was kidding or not.

"Can you watch Yuna-chan while I go to the bathroom? I've been drinking too much coffee. I promised Mr. Satou that I wouldn't leave her alone."

"Well, why not…?" his voice trailed off and his eyes motioned toward the private bath.

Jou walked up closely to Seto with a short, huffy laugh. "I love your dry sense of humor." He leaned in close and whispered, "I'm glad you show it to me occasionally. You make me happy, you know." Then, Jou went to the door and said over his shoulder, "The men's room is down the hall. Just keep an eye. Okay? I'll even let your guard follow me the whole way."

"Why do feel pressured into this?"

"It'll be okay. Don't worry." He opened the door and mouthed the words "I love you."

"I expect you in less than five minutes," Seto grumbled to Jou's back as he disappeared.

The room was quiet and the blinds were drawn—a little of the setting sun was peeking through. Yuna was in the bed, black hair pulled back, making her skin seem as though it had been painted white with faint, pinkish lips. Her face and porcelain skin would have made her the perfect hina-doll if she only had an elaborate kimono to wear instead of a hospital gown. Seto thought vaguely that peach, black, and gold would have suited her well. He could also easily imagine a grinning Mokuba next to her—dressed in similar clothing, hanging on her every word.

"Don't expect me to talk to you. There would be no point," he grumbled at her.

Seto looked at the door for the third time. He wanted Jou back. He wasn't happy being alone in a hospital room with a girl that he barely knew—a girl that his younger brother probably "liked" and not just as a barely noticeable, casual friend, either. He knew that he would be grilled later, over dinner, about her. And no one could grill as well as Mokuba—a very determined Mokuba at that. He'd better take a lot of mental notes.

Chocolate eyes watched him. Seto almost visibly jumped out of the chair. He wanted Jounouchi back now—right now! He looked at the door. No Jou.

_Damn it! I really didn't want this to happen._

"I know you," she said quietly. "Kaiba…sama."

Seto had been called "sama" since the day his adoption papers had been signed. But, her voice had an otherworldly quality to it. He straightened up in the chair like a good school boy. He tried to set his features, but found himself a little rattled. Concentrating was hard, too.

"You're Mokuba-kun's older brother."

Seto stood up stiffly, hoping inside to leave at any minute once Jou was back. "And I know you, too," he said and tried to smooth his voice out. "Mokuba will be glad that he can visit you now."

"Oh, yes," she said with a little smile. Her eyes were taking in the room now.

"They were afraid you…" Seto stopped himself. This wasn't a good topic and Mokuba would be furious with him for bringing it up.

"That I was going to die…?" Chocolate eyes were looking at him, through him… "Yes, I did for a moment. But, I'm back. I hated that operating table, though."

Seto raised one delicate eyebrow. In the past, Jounouchi had explained that Yuna was…well…_different_. And, from the way Mokuba described her, "different" was the polar opposite of the world view that Seto knew.

"I see..." He emphasized the "see" part.

"I don't think so, but I appreciate you trying." She extended a small hand to Seto. Seto knew, in his heart of hearts, that he wasn't "good with people." Mokuba…and now Jou…were the closest to him…that he could be with and share himself with…sometimes. Others? It was just too hard to reach out to them.

Yuna's hand was still waiting for him to take it. Waiting. Seto looked at the door, desperately this time, and hoped Jou would come bounding in. No luck.

"Can I be myself with you, I wonder?" she asked to no one in particular. The voice sounded entirely different now and her eyes had a faint glow. Seto, narrowed his brow and looked back at her when he heard a slight chuckle. Yuna's chocolate eyes brightened. "I'm not sure you know what it's like to make people afraid of you." This time, it _actually was_ directed at Seto. He sighed openly, sat down the way he did in every Friday afternoon staff meeting, and took Yuna's cold hand in his quickly. "I think I know what it's like," he grumbled miserably under his breath.

"Then, we have something in common." Her face had a satisfied smirk that seemed more like a "Seto smirk" than a "Yuna smile."

Her eyes seemed to peer through the walls. "And, yes, I've been walking around the hospital. Taking a journey. I guess that makes me a 'journey maker.' I've never really done that before." She smiled at the thought. "It was fun." Seto looked at her like she was crazy. Or, maybe, she was taking meds for pain and was just chattering on aimlessly.

"But an angel, that's how I see them, told me to get back into bed. So, here I am."

"I see…" Seto said noncommittally. He desperately _needed_ Jounouchi back now. This girl was talking nonsense.

"I don't think you do. But, that's okay, too." She smiled and showed her pearl-like teeth.

"Jounouchi is here. He should be back at any second," he grumbled, praying in his heart that it was true. _How long does it take to pee?_ "I don't know where he is, though."

"Yes, you do," she said and eyed Seto a little. "But I don't want to look in on him right now. He's still in the men's room."

Seto's hand gripped hers a little tighter. "So, you were awake this whole time! That's not very nice to make people worry." Blue eyes narrowed dangerously at her. A frown was coming to him, too. He hated deceitful people—even young ones. Then again, he had his moments when he was the most deceitful of all. But, he was okay with that.

"That's so interesting coming from a Scorpio. But, no. I was still walking around the hospital. I passed him in the hall, but he couldn't see me." Seto just gave her the "oh spare me" look, disbelieving every word. Yuna smiled back with crafty eyes, "Oh, and I really like the green shirt that Katsuya-kun has on today. You should pick out more of his clothes. Stylish."

"Green?" Seto mumbled. Jou was, indeed, wearing a green shirt that Seto had bought for him. In fact, it was new. It suddenly dawned on him that Jounouchi had never worn it before today.

"It's his favorite color."

Seto nodded at that. Jou loved green. But, she could have known that from working with him at the coffee shop.

"So, is there anything you'd like your father to bring from home?" Seto decided to test her. "Maybe your tarot cards?" Mokuba had mentioned many times that she liked those.

Yuna smiled back. She wasn't fooled a bit. _It has been awhile… Shall I? Hmmm… _The glow in her eyes brightened. "No, I don't need my cards. But I am curious about something."

"Oh?" Seto said, trying to look politely bored.

"I'm wondering why you're having people watching Katsuya-kun."

"Wha-?"

"I saw a man in a dark blue suit, blue tie, white shirt, and black sunglasses get a coffee for Katsuya-kun. Now, there's a different man who has followed him into the men's room. That one is wearing a dark brown suit and white shirt with a red tie."

Seto raised both eyebrows now. _How, the hell, does she know?! How? He never even came in here. I know that because I was getting an update from him before I walked in._

"Both of these men report to you. Why?"

Seto watched her face. There was a flash of anger—an expression that seemed foreign to her features. He chose his words carefully before giving a reply. "It has something to do with the stabbing." Once again, here was a topic that Seto wasn't comfortable with. Mokuba would royally kick his butt if he spoke much more on the topic.

Yuna nodded to herself. Yes, it all made sense. "The dark one is watching someone else. You are both safe…for now."

He rolled his eyes. "Did the _angels_ tell you this?" Seto said, disbelieving every word.

"Well, I see them as angels. I suppose someone else might see them differently. But, they're angels to me."

"Oh, that's right," Seto said, his mind searching back. "Mokuba told the police that you saw angels before the ambulance came for you."

"Yes, but it was a different angel who told me what to do—that Katsuya-kun was in trouble."

Seto eyed her.

"I'd do anything for Katsuya-kun." She smiled at the thought and squeezed Seto's hand.

_Maybe Mr. Satou's right. Maybe Yuna really does have a crush on Jou after all and she's just too young to recognize it. I think it's harmless… naïve …I suppose. _

He held her hand softly in his now. He suddenly felt that he could see a part of Yuna that she couldn't see in herself. He had an edge. The traditional "Kaiba smirk" came back to him. In response, Yuna's eyes got crafty again and a little smile crept on her lips. She was no fool.

"Yes, Katsuya-kun—and I knew this from the first time we met—is someone that I deeply care about." Unlike most Japanese, she was upfront about her feelings and Seto fought back a grin. _I thought so!_ Yuna looked into ice blue eyes. "He's my brother in every way that truly matters." Seto's smug look drooped a little. "We're just alike. We have the same aura. We were both born in January. Our parents are divorced. We live with our fathers. We don't exactly "fit in" at school. Poor grades—sometimes. We're alone. We feel things very strongly, and we feel pity for those who suffer more than we do." There was meaning in her eyes when she said "pity."

Seto's mouth was a thin line. "So, are you saying that Jou is with me out of pity?" Seto scrunched his eyes shut. He'd just admitted to being a couple with Jou! Worse yet, he couldn't believe that he was asking a fourteen year old girl this question. He had the sudden impulse to smack himself hard in the head.

"Not you," Yuna said. "I see a blond woman with …umm…a big chest. Don't confuse the past and the present. You see, 'pity' will never be 'love' and he didn't know that at the time. Don't go back to what you once were."

"And you, a fourteen year old, are telling me to do that?" Seto grumbled.

"No, the angel just did. The one who told me how to save Katsuya-kun. I have no idea what that message means."

"Right…" Seto didn't believe a word of it.

"Katsuya-kun's feelings are sincere. Why can't you see that?" Her voice was barely above a whisper now. "Only after the tower falls will you truly understand what you have almost lost." Then, Yuna's eyes lost their glow. She glanced around the room again, trying to hide the fact that she was getting upset. There was an emotion flooding her—one that she couldn't name. She forced herself to breathe and hoped that blinking hard would hide the tears that were suddenly coming to her. She wanted to fan her eyes, but Seto had her hand. Oddly, it was comforting and she didn't know why. "What I am telling you," she said with a trembling voice, "is that I'm sorry. I failed. I thought, with my—special skill—I could watch over Katsuya-kun. But, I can only see what "is" and what "was" most of the time. And I try to hide this "curse" because people think I'm crazy."

It was the first time that Seto had gotten the feeling from Yuna that this kind of "second sight" was a curse. But, if she thought she could see angels, he could see why she'd call it a curse. Still, Seto had to admit, if Yuna was a "guesser," she as a damn good one. He still didn't believe in psychics, magic, or hocus pocus. He looked again at the door and wondered how long Jou was going to stay in the bathroom.

Yuna's eyes brimmed with tears. "I'm sorry. I almost ruined your happiness. Forgive me?—in time, I mean. Not just yet, though."

A tear fell on her face and Seto cringed a little inside before brushing it away with his other hand. He hated seeing tearful people. It always bothered him. "Don't cry." He looked away.

Yuna nodded and did her best to stop. She said, "Before the ambulance came, I asked Katsuya-kun to forgive me, too, for leaving him—alone, I mean." She turned her head up and looked at Seto. "He really needs us, you know." Again, there was meaning behind her words. Seto looked at her sternly.

"And this _angel_, again, has told you to say that?"

"Yes," Yuna said, gripping onto his hand a little tighter. Her hand felt warm. "He's not like the others that I've seen before, too. This one's different. He talks a lot in a beautiful voice. And I'm grateful to him because he told me how to save Katsuya-kun-- but at a price. I had to face agony. I had to be a shield of my own free will and accept death if it came. And the scars on my back will never go away." Seto's eyes glanced toward the ceiling when she mentioned the scars. He just couldn't look at her. Jounouchi owed her so much. No, they both did.

"And Katsuya-kun should be walking through that door any minute now, Kaiba-sama."

_Wait! What am I doing? She's got me believing in this mumbo jumbo, now. Granted, she's good…and sincere._ _What a total prick I am for being suckered into this!_

Seto's eyes got stern again. The frown was back. Maybe, just maybe, she was fishing for something. Fake psychics were known to do that. Seto wasn't going to let her distract him with the notion of Jou coming back, either. "Oh really? An angel?" Seto said, releasing Yuna's hand and folding his arms against his chest defensively.

_Well, I don't see feathers or a halo anywhere…_

"It's hard to believe, but it's true," she said smoothly with a little smile edging on her lips, "and this one's dressed as a pharaoh."

* * *


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter—22

"What, the hell, are you doing?" Jounouchi said with distain.

"You know very well what I'm doing," Seto complained, going to the closet and pulling out an overnight bag to pack. Jou frowned at it. It was the same suitcase that Seto used in Beppu with the stash of "protection" inside. He tried not to think about it.

"You said that we'd be better off here, at your house…"

"_Our home_," Seto corrected, giving the blond a cold stare.

Jounouchi looked down at the bag on the bed. "As I said, we were supposed to be safer here, under your guard."

"Being watched by _my people_, you mean."

"So, why are the rules different for you? How is that fair? Even Mokuba couldn't go to that sleepover at his friend's house tonight."

"He'll get over it. And I've got a short business trip."

"But, tomorrow… It's Saturday and I had plans…hopes…to be with you." Jou crammed his hands into his pockets as he continued, "You know, tomorrow…I'm…moving out of my father's place. I guess…I could ask one of the guys to help me move." Some part of Jou hoped that Seto would be a little jealous, would be willing to put off this trip and help him move out.

"I'm taking the helicopter. With any luck, I'll be back before dinner."

Jounouchi blinked at him. This didn't make sense at all. "But, Seto, you're packing…your school uniform in that bag. What's going on? This can't be a business meeting. You always wear a business suit to command respect or something." Jounouchi shook his head at everything. A baseball cap and sunglasses were going in, too. They were next to the case.

Seto neatly folded the trousers first and the jacket went in next. After that, the socks went in. He wrapped his school shoes in plastic and those followed at the bottom of the case.

"Don't tell anyone that I packed this. Okay?"

"But, Seto…" Jou began to protest again but found a finger pressed against his lips. _He's trying to distract me._

"Promise?" Seto asked quietly and Jou kissed his index finger. Seto pressed it against his own mouth.

Jounouchi drooped a little. There was something up and Seto was using business as a chance to keep him out of things—probably out of danger. He didn't like it at all. They were a team, and he needed to fight by Seto's side.

"Come on, Pup," Seto murmured while zipping up the case. "It will be fine. And, I promise, this has nothing to do with Namiko."

Jounouchi raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"Trust me?"

Jou's eyes drifted to the case and up to Seto's face. "Okay," he sighed. "Yeah, I trust you." It was followed by a nod.

Seto patted the case and said, "I'm going to wear this to catch someone off guard. And we really will be discussing money. But, with it being a financial matter, could you not ask me about it again? It's personal."

"Kaiba Corp is doing okay, right?" Jou asked, suddenly feeling a new worry.

"Well, I'm running it. So, it's doing fine." He kissed Jou on the forehead and murmured, "But you didn't say the words 'I promise' to me, Pup."

"I promise," Jounouchi said sincerely, leaning up and finding Seto's mouth with his own. The kiss felt good and he had to hold onto this feeling because he wouldn't see Seto tomorrow. _Damn, I miss him already…_ He nibbled lightly on the lower lip and Seto reached for his hand, lacing their fingers together. Jou smiled inwardly. This could be a little bit…fun. "I promise," Jou repeated and placed his arms around Seto's waist. Seto blinked back in surprise to find himself being guided backwards and onto the sleigh bed. They both fell onto the mattress with a puff of air and satin sheets fluffing around them. Jounouchi was on top—hazel eyes looked down into blue.

The small case slipped off the bed and tumbled to the floor. Jounouchi cast his eyes down. Watching him, Seto's eyes followed. Not surprisingly, the zipper on the outside part of the case had been bumped back a little—a small unzip.

"Your suitcase," Jou mumbled. Before Seto could stop him, he leaned down and tugged at it, feeling Seto's secret stash. _Accidentally_, Jou pulled out three square packs labeled _Kimono MicroThin with Aqua Lube_.

Seto visibly blanched.

"Oh?" Jounouchi said with what sounded like innocence but, mentally, he was replaying the "hard core doujinshi incident" in his bedroom and Seto needling him about it. Turn about was, indeed, fair play.

Seto pushed chestnut hair out of his eyes nervously. "I had forgotten," he began quietly and wondered if Jounouchi would really believe it. Why did Jou have to find that in the suitcase he was taking with him? In his mind, Seto could imagine all possible reactions that Jounouchi would have to this—ranging from embarrassment to fury. Accusing him of cheating while he was away would be another possibility. Businessmen were known to. But, that one would really hurt more than the others. Would he run away? Jou just might do that—which would be a living hell with all that they were dealing with at the moment.

"Jounouchi," Seto said the name sincerely. He didn't know what to say next.

Jou got back on the bed next to him holding the three blue and white packaged condoms. Seto held his breath. This was not going to be good.

"I can be demanding, Seto. Live up to my expectations." The blond snickered a little before kissing him again in that slow, agonizing way that Seto adored. Blue eyes widened. _Wait…He's not mad…? Jealous? Why can't he be jealous?_

Jou grabbed a fist-full of Seto's dark blue shirt and pulled it off of him roughly. He kissed Seto's jaw line, moving his mouth closer and closer to Seto's lips. The other's body was feeling warm, heating up.

_Three? No. He's playing a game with me, that's all._ Seto's eyes grew stern. "Jou?" Jounouchi's answer was a nuzzle against his cheek. "No, seriously… How far do you want to go this time?" Seto asked.

It was the same question that they always asked each other before they made out. And they had to because Mokuba was usually in the house somewhere and he never knocked. Add to the fact that, even if they were sitting on the couch cuddling each other, Seto would, on most occasions, pull back if Mokuba entered the room. For some reason, that amused Jou greatly, leaning on each other was okay, but displays of affection beyond that seemed to make Seto withdraw. Jounouchi didn't like _public_ displays of affection. That was true. So, he understood. But, Seto's reluctance for "private" displays made Jou smirk a little.

"How far?" There was a chuckle. The blond whispered "you know the answer" against his lips.

"Did you lock the door?"

A new question… Seto had never asked that one before.

"Do you want me to?" Jou asked, removing his own shirt and tossing it down. His silver medallion felt cold against Seto's skin.

"The choice is yours," he said quietly, toying with the medallion and running his fingers up the strap, grabbing it, and gently pulling Jou closer for another kiss. This one was deeper and slower, making the blond grab Seto's shoulders and sink his stubby nails in a little. Both shirtless, the warmth between them spread—feeling skin to skin. Seto groaned with the next kiss. His hands explored Jou's back, smooth skin and a strong, masculine build. The weight of the body on top of him made his heart race.

There was a velvet kiss on Seto's cheek as Jou got up and locked the door. He walked back to the bed. Seto had pushed himself up on his elbows to watch Jou. Some part of him couldn't believe what was happening and some part was overjoyed.

Jounouchi climbed back on top of Seto and felt strong arms wrap around him immediately. Seto took hold of the blond's waist and repositioned their hips together. Jou leaned in for another kiss.

"You could still change your mind," Seto murmured into his ear while stroking back blond hair. "I would accept it if you did."

Jounouchi kissed Seto's neck in a small trail downward. "Worried? Why?" Jou whispered. He looked down into blue eyes. There was a hazy lust in them. Hands pressed on Jou's back—forcing his body against Seto's again.

Seto answered with a kiss, an unusually strong one. But, then, he backed off just as quickly, controlling himself. He took Jou's hand, kissed the palm of it and drew a warm, wet circle with the tip of his tongue. He enjoyed the pleasure of hearing the blond gasp. Jou could make delicious noises when his body shivered—as it did just now. Seto's hands stroked down. They had a soft and silky texture.

Jou was breathing hard now. He looked at his love_. Are you really that worried about me or is it that control freak nature of yours? Both maybe?_ Jounouchi smirked. He locked his arms and legs around Seto and rolled in the bed. Now, Seto was on top. And the three packets of protection were near his pillow.

From making out on the couch so many times, Jounouchi knew that Seto had a sensitive spot on the place between his neck and collarbone. Kissing it was both a pleasure and a torture because, every time he did, Seto would react to it almost immediately. But he would also make them stop. The makeout almost always ended there, too, with a very grumpy Seto suddenly demanding a cup of coffee and heading off toward the kitchen. Jounouchi found the place, cautiously putting his lips to it, and heard Seto's breathing change almost immediately. Jou sunk his teeth in a little. Seto's head leaned back, one shaking hand clutching at satin sheets. Jou didn't stop and Seto didn't ask him to.

Softly, Jou stroked the place with his finger—a small, purpling dot that he was proud of. It was the first mark that he'd ever made on Seto, too. Jou relaxed in the bed under Seto. He stretched his arms out wide. "Do as you like," he said sincerely, "…whatever you want..."

Jounouchi, at that moment, half-expected or rather _half-hoped_ Seto would lose control and rip the rest of their clothes off. It would be a challenge because they were almost drenched in sweat.

"Do you know how long I've been waiting for you to say that?" His voice had a deep, husky tone. "Honestly, you have no idea what you do to me." Seto buried his face into Jou's neck and blond hair. He breathed in the sandalwood scent. The smell of his mate was arousing but also a comfort. "I've wanted you for so long." There was a blissful sound to his voice now.

"Why, then?" Jou barely got the words out. He could feel hands tugging at his button and, then, the zipper.

"I don't want to force you or to have regrets," Seto said quietly, cupping Jounouchi's face in his hands. Blond hair spilled through his fingers. "I don't want to hurt you in any way because…you're precious to me."

Jounouchi blinked up at him. The blue eyes still had a lustful quality, but almost a sad one, too. It was that part of Seto's soul that he could never seem to touch, but he would spend the rest of his life trying to.

"I love how you say that," Jou whispered. "Say it again."

"You're precious to me."

* * *

At the Shizuoka Airport (静岡空港, _Shizuoka Kūkō_), Kaiba Seto stepped off the helicopter with his case and headed for the men's restroom. Once in there, he got into a stall and began to change his clothes into the blue Domino High School uniform. 

At the car rental desk, Seto was surprised to see Kageyama politely waiting for him. She was wearing a grey tweed pantsuit and had a laptop with her. She seemed to be your run of the mill business woman.

"Is there a problem?" Seto asked, looking worried.

"Well, in your case it is," she said in a friendly tone, gesturing for them to leave out the nearest door before the man at the rental counter could say anything. Seto decided to go along with it because she probably wanted some privacy for them both before updating him.

"Is it Namiko or the yakuza?" Seto demanded as the sliding doors opened.

"Neither one," Kageyama said, handing him the keys to the rental car and making a gesture to the black Nissan. "And I'm sorry, but the Nissan was the best I could do for you under the circumstances. But it does have GPS. So, that should make things easier."

Seto looked questioningly.

"Well, you wanted to stay incognito—which means no limo and no Kaiba Corp corporate cars. Plus," she said and tried to hide a smile, "someone your age can't rent a car. So, I did it for you."

"I could have just bought a motorcycle," Seto said, not liking her making an executive decision without him.

"Which would take time to do. Or, worse yet… We just know how well motorcycles do in vehicular collisions—if Namiko or the yakuza happened to find you here..." Her voice trailed off.

Seto looked a little unhappy at that. Then, she gestured to the red Toyota. "That one's mine. I'll follow you at a distance to your meeting."

"Do I really need an escort?" Seto said, staring directly at her.

"Looking out for you is my job," she shrugged back.

"Fine, then. We're wasting time talking. It's almost noon and we've got to get this shit over with."

Kageyama nodded, went to her rental car, and started the engine.

Seto drove his car through the gates of Shizuoka University and parked in the space marked "visitor parking." It was twelve noon now and he knew exactly what to look for. He put on his sunglasses, pulled his hair up, and tucked it neatly into the baseball cap. Seto gave the red car that pulled up two rows back a quick look and headed off in the direction of the sound of earth moving equipment.

As he walked, Seto looked around the campus. It wasn't a bad place, actually, but Seto would have his business to deal with full-time once he graduated. If he wanted to, he could probably get his business degree online from a Canadian or an American University. So, college life really didn't interest him at the moment.

There were caution signs and yellow traffic cones in front of the entrance to the International Student Building—which needed a bit sprucing up. After all, their tuition would be higher than the Japanese students. So, making the place nice only made sense. Seto noticed wooden posts set into the ground with yellow "caution" tape wrapped around so that the clueless students, with noses stuck into books, wouldn't fall down, hurt themselves, and sue the college.

"Hey, Jounouchi-san?" a middle aged man shouted. "Wanna go get some ramen for lunch?"

Seto's head turned in the direction of the man talking. Then, he shifted his view to the opposite side of the work area. The earthmoving equipment at that end, which included an excavator, a Furukawa bulldozer and two Toyota wheel loaders, were for some strange reason, all painted the same waxy blue color.

"Katashi-san, listen to him. Come with us," another worker said, with not a lot of sincerity, to the senior Jounouchi while removing his leather work gloves.

Seto was surprised. Instead of seeing a balding, overweight lazy-ass, Seto saw a man who looked very much like his Jounouchi but in his mid 50's. The man's posture and gestures seemed to be the same, too. Jounouchi Katashi dusted himself down and then took off his filthy work gloves. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one up. _It's no surprise why Jounouchi hates smokers. His father's one. Deep down, he doesn't want his dad to die of cancer._ Seeing that, Seto noted, there were differences, too. The frame seemed wiry and unnaturally thin. He had salt and peppered silver hair mixed in with dirty blond, and skin leathery from working in the sun all of his life—deep wrinkles around the eyes and cheeks. His face seemed to be set in a permanent frown and a smile would have seemed unnatural for him. There was almost a cruel determination, too.

For a second, Seto felt like he was seeing his Jounouchi's future self. Seto's heart ached a little, even if he didn't want to admit it to himself. _No, my puppy won't turn out like this._

Seto approached Jounouchi Katashi. He was going to have his say, but he was also going to work it so that no one would know that Kaiba Seto was the one saying it. For this moment, he'd have to be someone else. For this moment, he decided to be Honda because Honda had been a total jerk-off and owed Jou something. This would be it.

"Excuse me," said Seto, looking polite. He smiled with the hat covering his eyes.

"Yeah? What do ya want?" The voice was hard and impatient. The man approached Seto wearing a khaki colored work uniform and a tan hat.

_I hate this guy already. It's a good thing my Jounouchi never sees him._

"Well, I was hoping I could talk to you for a minute. It's important."

"Are you coming or not?" Katashi's coworkers called.

"You guys go on." He waved them off and they seemed more than happy to escape him—chatting merrily among themselves. Seto noted this and turned his attention back to Katashi.

"Thanks. This won't take long."

The man gave the blue school uniform a disapproving look. "I know that uniform. You go to Domino High. And it's nowhere near here." He tilted his head and gave a daggers look to Seto. "So, the question is… What do ya want?"

"Well, my name is Honda Hiroto. And I'd like to keep this conversation private—just between us." Seto tried shoving his hands in his pockets and curving his shoulders forward the way Honda always did when he was actually trying to use a brain cell.

"'Kay, Honda… What do ya want?" The question wasn't innocent. He knew something was going on that he wouldn't like.

_No honorifics, loud mouth, crude tone, and straight to the point. No wonder my puppy acts like that._

Before Seto could open his mouth, the elder Jounouchi said, "Lemme guess… You found out that your _boyfriend_, my kid, is being kicked out of the house. You wanna talk me out of it." He glared at Seto as though killing him and throwing his body into the construction site would be an easy task. "No dice, you asshole. I'm not gonna have some faggot son staying in my place. No way. No how."

Seto tensed up at this and worked hard to stay in character. _Remember that he's saying this to "Honda." _

"Oh, no. We're just friends and classmates, and I didn't come to do that, honestly." Seto gritted his teeth into a smile.

The man crossed his arms and gave a condescending look.

"Really," Seto said and pulled out his calculator. "You see, I'm supposed to help him move out of your…house…"

"Good thing too," Jounouchi senior said with satisfaction. With two rough hands, he pulled his greasy, blond hair out of his face and let it fall limply down his back.

"But, you do realize, though, what you've got yourself into. Right?" Seto asked almost sweetly with a casual lean in the elder Jounouchi's direction. He pushed more buttons on the calculator.

The man stomped a foot in Seto's direction with his steel toed work boots. There was still dirt everywhere and his stomps made small clouds rise. "What, the hell, are you talking about?" His voice was loud, angry.

"Well, there's nowhere else for him to go."

"My faggot, ex-son can go back to gang life for all I care. He did it before."

_Hell! I hate this bastard! How can you turn on your own child so easily? Jou is a good person. He's kind and too mushy and helps other people too easily…eats a lot, too…but, he wouldn't abandon his own child…if he had one, that is. No matter how this ends, I will keep these two apart._

Behind the sunglasses, blue eyes narrowed. "I don't want that for him," Seto said, fighting his rage. Keeping a smooth voice was almost impossible and Katashi smirked knowingly when he heard the tremor. "Actually," Seto said, "none of us do."

"Screw you and the horse you rode in on," he said and started to leave.

"Just one other thing…one tiny detail," Seto said and started punching buttons on his calculator again.

"What, you asshole?"

"You know that you're giving Jounouchi-kun no other choice but to…move in with his mother."

Katashi's eyes widened at that. "What do you mean by that? I divorced her. She has no right to know anything about him. I got the boy and his mom, that bitch, got the girl. That was the deal."

"Well, you're giving him up. So the deal's off."

"No way!" Katashi yelled. "If I can't have him, I'd rather he be in an orphanage or on the streets…_than with her_." His face was blood red and angry. His fists were clinched and Seto mentally prepared himself for being struck. But, instead, Katashi kicked the dirt like an angry child—sending up a cloud. "I taught him right. I taught him to hate her. There's no way that my ex-son would go back to my ex-wife."

Seto's blood ran cold for a second. _Taught him? To hate his own mother? _Seto gave the older Jounouchi a serious stare. _He did that on purpose so that Jou would have no one to turn to if things got bad. Stay in character… I've got to stay in character just a little while longer._ Seto's fists ached from being clinched for so long.

"Well, he is," Seto lied. "Now, back to the task at hand… You owe Jounouchi-kun for the bills that he's been paying _for you_. And we have the statements to prove it."

"Hey, no! I sent him money for the mortgage. I paid for my own house." He pointed an angry middle finger at Seto who easily ignored it.

"Sometimes…when you _felt like it_," Seto retorted and pushed the black sunglasses up further on his nose with his middle finger. He moved the calculator closer to his face. Seto pushed the buttons expertly.

"Always!"

"Humph." Seto worked the calculator—putting figures into the "memory" feature. "There's still the light bill, water bill, phone bill, food…"

"Hey, wait…" Katashi said, glaring dangerously.

"His uniform costs money, too… No, that goes under "clothes"…I'll just add that…"

"Kid, didn't ya hear me?" he growled.

"You see, in Japan we have a system in which we pay back what we owe. Remember "duty" and "honor"? You, sir, are deeply indebted to your son. He is, in fact, the person who cares for and runs your…" he coughed politely, "home." Seto grinned and kept talking to the angry face looking up at him. This was almost as much fun as needling the tax accountants every quarter at Kaiba Corp. "Now, based on Jounouchi-kun's bills each month…" _And he really needs to get rid of those old statements with a shredder…_ Seto pushed the "equal" button. "In one year alone, you owe this much yen." He showed the calculator to Katashi and his eyes widened at the sum. "But, you've been gone…off and on…longer than one year…or two…or three..." Seto tried to copy Honda's cheetah grin. It actually felt good. "I'm sure your ex-wife will be happy to know that. She'll be expecting the money…or her lawyer will."

The angry face drained of color. "No way! I let that bitch go along time ago. There's no way I'm going to deal with her again, and she's never going to get another yen out of me!"

Seto pushed the sunglasses up on his nose again to hide a smile. "Oh, that's so _unfortunate_. And with that new job, too, you wouldn't want to have more _unfortunate_ debts piling up…lawyer fees…seeing your ex more often and… then going to Australia could make things even more complicated with the possibility of having to fly back here. Your house could be sold to handle the debt, though."

"Hey, I inherited that place from my uncle. I'm not selling it."

"Well, this wouldn't have started if you hadn't kicked Jounouchi-kun out. He was going to move out after graduation anyway. I don't know what your hurry was. Care to tell?"

_Come on, you geriatric ass! Say it! I wanna hear all of the lies you said to Jou over the phone. If he'd been a weaker person, you would have broken him long ago. But, he's a lot stronger than you think. And he has me!_

The older Jounouchi glared back, veins sticking out of his neck like tree roots. "Yes, then! He can stay until graduation. Just keep him from going to my ex and letting her know about the money." Katashi barked out each word as he said it.

"And you'll send Jounouchi-kun next month's mortgage payment right away as well as an apology?"

"An apology?! Hey, that's my place! And, ya know, to get money…what he's been doing is…" The man's voice broke off.

"He's been working two jobs," Seto said flatly. "He works at a coffee shop during the week and at a mom-and-pop restaurant on weekends. He works full-time and goes to school full-time." Seto pushed the sunglasses up on his nose again. "And, you don't know anything about him. His best friend's name is Mutou Yugi—who is dating a very nice _girl_, also Jounouchi-kun's friend, Anzu. He hangs out with Yugi's grandpa—who is like a grandfather to him, someone he'd really not want to disappoint. Then, there's also Shizuka or 'the girl' as you call her…Mokuba and Seto and…me. We're his family—his _real_ family."

Katashi narrowed his eyes at Seto for that. "Oh, you're not his family or his ancestors. You won't watch over him his whole…_loser_…life. Just wait 'till you graduate and disappear."

_Loser… How many times did I call Jounouchi "loser" before we got together. Jou got that from me at school and from his dad when the man bothered to come home. Hell… _

The teen with dark glasses gave him a blank look.

"So, this evening, I'll be helping Jounouchi-kun to pack up his things from your house. You'd better call during that time and…discuss things. For my part, I'll play innocent. We never had this conversation."

"And if I decide to _not_ go along with this—apology?"

Seto pulled a tape recorder from his pocket. "The deal's off. And I'll just hand this over to your ex-wife. It should make getting the money that you owe to her…I mean 'Jou-kun'…a lot easier. And a copy will go to your new boss in Australia."

Seto couldn't stand looking at the degenerate anymore. It made him sick inside. Seto started to walk away, but with his back to the man, Seto shot up his middle finger. "Suck on that, old man!" he said over his shoulder as he stormed off—leaving Katashi to kick more dirt into the air with his foot.

* * *

That evening, Seto had the limo take him directly to the Jounouchi house. In the limo, he changed back into his regular street clothes—jeans, a dark blue shirt, and black shoes. As they pulled up, Seto noticed that the handyman had come by with the new door. Yes, Seto made sure that he paid back his obligations, too—even if it was to that bastard father. He studied it for a second. Seto had picked an exterior door that was simple and kept in style of the house. Yes, it would do. 

He knocked and he could hear muffled voices inside the house. He could also hear someone coming to the door.

Seto looked down slightly to see that Jounouchi had thrown the door open with a wide, puppyish grin on his face. For a second, everything seemed to be in slow motion. Arms reached out for him.

Seto thought, _everyone has three hearts: one that they show in public, one that they show to loved ones, and one that they show to God._

Jounouchi had actually managed to lift Seto off the ground in a huge hug. He was laughing now.

…_And I've seen the heart he shows God…_

"Seto! I'm so glad you're back," Jounouchi said happily, ushering him in. Seto glared for a second when he saw Honda two feet away, holding a box.

"What, the hell, happened to you?" Seto demanded.

Honda glared back at him with an all too obvious black eye that had small bloody veins running across the whites. His lip was split, too. There were bruises on his ear and neck that trailed down.

"Some guy tried to rob me. I fought back."

Seto huffed at it. "You actually stood up for yourself? I don't believe a word of it."

_I don't believe it, either. But, still…_ Jou gave Seto a friendly nudge and continued on with his news. "Guess what?"

"The repairs are done on the door?" he said with a minor bit of interest.

Honda stood there, still holding the box and head down a little. Honda's mouth was a dull, thin line. He was forcing himself to get used to the "Jou-Seto" thing all over again.

"Oh, yes…that too…but, guess what?"

Seto cocked his head to one side with a slight frown. On the inside, he was enjoying the look on Honda's face immensely.

"My dad called!" Jou said hurriedly. "He…and I can't believe it because he's never done this before…he actually apologized for the stuff he said. Well, he didn't go into details, but he said he was sorry. I can stay here until graduation and he knows I want to move out after that." Jou practically gushed the last sentence, running the words together.

Seto forced a suspicious look on his face but smiled inwardly. _The things I do for you that you'll never know about… My heart's a dark place, but yours shouldn't be._

"And, he's sending me money for the mortgage early," Jou said, hugging Seto again with relief. He relaxed in his love's arms. "I told you that it would be okay, didn't I?" The words were muffled against Seto's chest. "You just have to have faith."

"Faith," Seto said back in a disbelieving voice.

"Well, that's one problem taken care of," Honda muttered, interrupting them a little. He was watching the floor now.

Jou pulled away from Seto but kept a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Yup, you're right. But, I've already packed most of my stuff."

"Bring the clothes, then," Seto said, turning to go. Out the door, Seto motioned to one of his men in black who was watching the house from across the street. The man in the dark suit nodded.

"Wait! What?" Jou said, face falling a little. He glared a little at Seto's minion while he was at it because it was easier than glaring at Seto. "I think we've had this conversation before."

Seto noticed the happy smirk on Honda's face right before it disappeared.

"Until we have this mess with Namiko and the yakuza cleared up, you're going to need to have something to wear… and you're not sleeping here. Got it?"

This was an order—not up to debate.

Jou nodded.

"Good," he said in a huffy tone. "Or, if you like, open all of those boxes, pull out only the clothes you really need for the next two weeks, and repack them all over again."

"Ugh," Jou said, pushing a hand against his aching back.

_I'll bet he just started throwing everything into boxes at random,_ Seto thought tartly.

"I think I'll just bring over the boxes of clothes and photos after all. I'll keep the rest in my old room," Jou mumbled, feeling put out.

_He said "old room." I like the sound of that_. There was a smile on Seto's face now. "I couldn't agree more," Seto said, "so lock up and let's go. And, since I'm in such a good mood" he eyed Honda who visibly shrank, "I'll even take him home." Jou smiled at that.

"H-Home?" The thought made him strangely nervous. He opened his mouth to object, but couldn't think of a reason to. Then, Honda nodded awkwardly and walked through the door with the half-taped down box he was now clutching to his chest as a kind of shield. Honda stepped into the limo and sat down gingerly. With one arm pressed against his ribs a little, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Taka? Yeah, it's Honda. It's like I keep telling ya," he said taking a quick glance out the door to make sure he was alone. "I have no idea where Jounouchi or Kaiba happen to be right now. Yugi and Anzu are probably off at Burger World or something, too." He sighed. "Yeah, you can keep threatening me, but I have no idea where they are. Why not just give up?" The phone went dead and he hung up.

_Exactly how long can I keep the yakuza away from my friends? They never said exactly why they were after them, either._ He glanced at Seto out the door of the limo. _It just has to be because of Kaiba. Maybe, he made some business enemies. I dunno. But, there's no good that can come of him dating Jounouchi! I'll just keep praying that they'll break up for good. _

Honda leaned back in the seat—determined not to do anything else. But those two were taking a little while and curiosity got the better of him. He leaned forward, peeking at them while they were standing on the doorstep. Seto noticed him cringing a little when he put his hand on Jou shoulder as the blond was locking up the house. And, just to spite him, Seto suddenly pulled Jounouchi close, whispered "I'm glad you're happy now," and kissed Jounouchi on the cheek.

Inside the limo, Honda was gagging into the box.

* * *


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

It was Sunday. They were sitting in a booth at Burger World with the remains of their lunch in front of them. Yugi had been particularly hungry and had eaten three Mini Junior Burgers, fries, and a slice of pineapple cheesecake. Anzu just stared at the papery mess on the table, pushed the remains of her salad forward, and took a last sip of her drink.

"You know, from working here in the past, I know to stay away from the pineapple cheesecake," she said with a laugh. "It will give you indigestion for sure."

Yugi laughed and put a hand to the back of his head. "Well, it's nice to have you smile again. You've been so down lately."

She tilted her head toward the table and couldn't hold back a smile. "You noticed…" she returned with her heart beating a little harder.

"Why wouldn't I?" Yugi said, balling up the paper wrappers and putting them on a tray. If he busied himself with the table, he could handle anything that Anzu said or did next. He was, for some reason, kind of nervous now. He glanced at her face briefly. Doing something, no matter how small, that seemed like he was taking care of her felt good.

Anzu put her drink down and watched him work. _He's really cute._

"Oh…Are you done with that?" He motioned to her cup.

"Yes."

Still a bit nervous, Yugi grabbed the cup at the top. Almost immediately, the plastic lid popped off, the cup tipped over, and a river of ice fell into Anzu's lap. She started to get up only to find Yugi's hand in her lap, too! He was trying to brush the ice off but it was making her upset that he'd do such a thing at Burger World—a place where she used to work! People knew her here! Then, she saw Yugi's reaction. He'd caught himself and realized what he was doing. Visibly, he shrunk back as though she'd hit him. He cringed, waiting for the blow that was sure to follow. And, yes, he'd deserve it.

_Okay, now that just makes me mad! What's so wrong with me that you'd be afraid of me?! Oh, he can be such a wimp sometimes! Grrrr…_

"I'm sorry, Anzu! I really am. I just didn't mean to. Sorry!" His palms were raised up defensively. He turned his violet eyes to her in a pleading way and Anzu softened.

"It's…ummm…okay," she said brushing the last of the ice off. It was a good thing the pieces were big and not that slushy crushed ice stuff. "I'll just go to the bathroom and see if I can dry my skirt with the hand dryer or paper towels. Just give me a few minutes, okay?" She forced a smile on her face.

"I'm sorry," he said again, his tone a mixture of sadness and embarrassment.

"I said that you don't need to worry. Okay?" She winked at him and saw that he relaxed a little. _No matter what, I will not let this turn our date sour._

She looked down at her wet skirt as she walked. Yes, there was a wet spot spreading out. She was dribbling a little trail on the floor, too. _I hate this…_

Anzu pushed the door to the women's bathroom open and entered. She watched herself in one of the mirrors as she passed by. She was wearing a yellow top, black skirt, and tan belt. The top and belt were fine but the black skirt had a watery stain a few inches across. The worst case scenario would be if the stain dried a lighter color and she'd have to twist the skirt around so that the stain wasn't directly over her crotch or something. Then, she'd have Yugi take her home to change. But, maybe, it was just water from the melted ice. That would dry okay and she could spend more time with Yugi at the bookstore or something.

Anzu found the hand dryer and was about to push it when a bathroom stall door opened.

"Hello, Anzu," came a familiar voice behind her.

Anzu turned immediately to find Namiko leaning casually against the tampon dispenser with her arms folded.

"N-Namiko?" Anzu squeaked. "Wha? I mean, ummm…. What are you doing here?"

_She's blocking the exit! What do I do now?_

"You're in high school," Namiko said casually. Don't you know that you are particularly vulnerable in the restroom? After all, the teachers use the teacher's lounge toilets. So, no one monitors the bathrooms. That means anyone can _say or do anything_…"

Anzu just stared back, wide eyed.

_You're so weak._ Smirk.

"I've been watching you," Namiko said with her eyes narrowing. Namiko was wearing blue jeans, a black hoodie top, and navy tennis shoes. A small, black leather purse hung from her shoulder. Namiko's hair was tied back in a ponytail at the base of her neck.

"Oh," Anzu breathed. She couldn't, for the life of her, think of how to respond to that. She just gaped back, opening and closing her mouth involuntarily. Namiko thought the other girl looked like a gagging goldfish.

"Yes, it was really fun to watch you run from those Yakuza. You could really make those pencil legs move."

Anzu's eyes widened again. _She saw…!_

"And I'm sure you and Yugi-san really enjoyed your stay at that love hotel."

Again, Anzu could only gape back and felt her face getting hot.

"What kind of room did you get? There's a really nice one with a police car. Do you want me to tell you what you have to do to get the lights to flash on and off? The room comes with handcuffs, too."

Anzu felt afraid. She could feel herself shaking and fought against it.

Namiko folded her arms and smiled broadly. "Tell me truly… Is he any good? They're usually not at that age, though," she said almost wistfully.

_The love hotel…_ Anzu's face drained of all color. She looked at an incredibly interesting crack in the tile on the floor. _Somebody knows! Somebody knows! What if she tells people? What do I do now?_

"You _know_," Namiko said with an emphasis on "know" followed by a wink, "right now, I have the sudden urge to throw you off a cliff. I'll bet that I'm not the only one who'd like to do that." There was a crooked grin that followed.

_No, I've got to stand up to her! I just have to_. "What do you want?" When she didn't get an immediate answer, she chewed on her lower lip in thought. What she needed was a plan. Yes. Yes, there was something she could do after all. "You'd better tell me…because…sounds echo in the restroom. All I have to do is yell."

Another crooked grin from Namiko. "Do that," she said with a chuckle, "and I'll strangle you with your own shoelace so quickly that you won't make another sound. I'll make it look like it was self-inflicted, too."

Anzu lowered her head. "What do you want?" she repeated.

"I need a little messenger. And that's the only reason why you're still alive right now. Well, that and I really like to mess with you." Another wink followed. "But, cause me trouble, and I'll get rid of you and use Yugi-san instead."

Anzu's eyes widened at Yugi's name.

Namiko took steps closer to Anzu. She slinked in her usual manner. "Do you really want me to have Yugi-san all to myself? He isn't very strong… The kind of things I could do to him…" Namiko's eyes glistened with the possibilities. "I could make a man out of him, though, before he died. You must be an incredibly boring bed partner. So, you don't count. With the exception of the boobs, there's not much to you."

Anzu shook her head "no" while staring down at the floor again but angrily this time. "Mating doesn't' make you a 'man' and he knows that," she mumbled back.

"Then, be a good little girl and listen to what big sis has to say to you." The tone was condescending and sing-song. Namiko grinned at Anzu. She was enjoying herself.

"First of all, here's something for you." She held a Duel Monsters card in her hand, pink nails touching the black edges. She passed it on to the other girl. "And, as you already know, it's a fake." Anzu nodded as she looked at the card. It was Vampire's Curse. The figure on the card had a single bat wing and armor on. He was looking down at his hand in despair as his body transformed.

"So, give this to Kaiba-sama." There was a soft chuckle echoing in the bathroom. "Apparently, he needs a nudge to realize that either he or Pegasus will get the blame for what's to come." Namiko walked back to the mirror and pretended to fix her hair. "Oh, and another thing," she murmured while stroking a black strand of hair into place, "I have a message for him, too."

"Fine. What is it?" Deep down, Anzu was afraid to ask the question. It made her squirm inside because she had no idea of what it was, or how she was going to respond once she knew.

"Tell Kaiba-sama that he has to hand over Katsuya-kun to me or else."

"Please, don't ask us to do that!" Anzu found herself pleading. Her hands were suddenly knit together at the thought. The impossibility of it all. "You know that we can't!"

Namiko reached into her black leather purse and pulled out something. She handed a small packet of photos to Anzu. "Or…the person in these photos will learn the truth."

A frown came to her face. "Truth? What truth?"

Namiko grinned at her with sharp teeth. "Of what really happened to Kaiba Gozaburo-sama."

Anzu shook her head a little at that. It didn't make sense. "Everyone knows what happened to him. He placed his personality into the Kaiba Corp computer banks and then committed suicide. It caused a lot of trouble later on, too."

Namiko's eyes brightened at that. "Just pass the message along. He'll understand what I mean," she said, turning around to leave. There was a smug look on her face. "Oh, and by the way," Namiko said while pushing the bathroom door open, "one of you is a traitor. And I know who it is."

"That's a lie!" Anzu said fiercely. She'd had enough of this. "Nobody I know would work with you or those guys following us..." _Yes, following us…_ She intentionally left off the "to the love hotel" part.

"Oh, yes there is. And I can't exactly be watching you 24/7, so… How do you think I knew exactly where you hang out?" Namiko laughed as she went out the door. "And, maybe, you're next…or, maybe, it will be Yugi-san. Have you ever thought of that?"

Namiko walked away, admiring her pink fingernails. If the yakuza kept paying her for turning members of the Geek Squad over to them, she'd have a nice little chunk of change before pulling her final stunt. This would be fun.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Seto, but I'm just going stir crazy!"

Seto looked at the sidewalk grimly as they walked. Even though he knew he had four of his people following them right now from various positions, it still didn't make him feel any better. And he hated the nervous feeling he got just from being exposed on the streets now. The paranoia made him feel weak. And that, above all, really pissed him off.

The blond was about to say something else when he caught Seto's expression out of the corner of his eye_. He's in a bad mood. Damn. Okay, let's see if we can cheer him up even if it means I'll be bored stiff._ "I tell you what. Why don't we get some coffee ice cream from that shop up ahead and then we can hang out in your office while you work for a few hours?"

Seto raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said I work too much. Plus, it's Sunday."

"I'll do it for you," Jou mumbled with a shrug. "It's okay, really."

Seto thought about it. He actually did. Jounouchi had a self-satisfied smile on his face from watching him.

They walked a little further on. Jou put his hands into his blue jean pockets as he went. If he was going to just sit around, he was sure that he could find a computer at Kaiba Corp and surf the Internet while Seto worked. That, alone, could keep him entertained the whole time. Though, it would have been better for him to use the time studying for that history exam on Monday.

Two elderly people, coming the opposite way, entered a store. They swung the glass door open and Jou had to pause, briefly, to let the old folks in. It brought Jou out of his thoughts as he held the door for them. Now, the way was clear for Jounouchi to see all the way down to the ice cream shop. Suddenly, Jou's eyes caught something. It took a second for his mind to fully realize what he was seeing, but it finally clicked.

"Who's that with Honda?" Jounouchi mumbled the words but didn't realize, at the time, he'd said it out loud.

Jounouchi saw Honda talking to someone who was about their age. His head tilted to the ground more and more with each word. Then, his head suddenly shot up. He gave the teen he was talking to a fiery glare. His fists were balled up, too. There was another man, much older, standing in the alleyway. He was trying to avoid people and stayed in the shadows. However, his outline could clearly be seen by Jou.

Seto's phone rang.

"It's me," Kageyama said quickly, "one of those teens up ahead of you is a yakuza! He's one of the guys who followed Jounouchi-kun the other day until I ran them off. And there's another man in the alley. I've seen him before, too, not far from your house."

Seto froze. His eyes were fixed on Honda, who was shaking his head "no." _Not good….definitely not good…. _

Jounouchi looked at Seto with concern. He was about to say something when Seto continued. "The guy talking to Honda…over there is…a yakuza, huh?" Seto said out loud, confirming his fears. "Then, you know what to do!"

Jounouchi turned his hazel eyes to Seto and back to Honda again. From looking at Jou's profile, now, there was something feral in him. His face became hard, frightening. His stance changed to one prepared to fight.

Seto saw it. _No, Jounouchi is…!_

Before Jou could do anything, he saw Seto sprinting in front of him, his blue coat billowing. The longer legs had more power, but Jou found himself able to keep up. The blond was suddenly taking in deep breaths, pushing himself to run faster and keep up. He was not going to leave Seto's side. Not now!

"Taka! Look out!" shouted a voice. The teen yakuza looked in the direction of the footsteps, brown hair getting into his eyes. He grabbed Honda by the forearm and shoved him in the direction of the second yakuza. They took off down the alley, quickly followed by Jou and Seto.

Behind one of the stores, feet came to a halt—sliding on gravel. The back door of a silver Mazda was open and Jou saw Honda being shoved in the back, but not before getting punched in the stomach to make him more willing to go.

The driver, a scruffy Japanese man in his early 30's, turned away from the car and threw a punch at Jounouchi—who quickly ducked and tried to land a punch before being kicked in the chest. He crumbled but willed himself to stand up.

"Honda? You okay?!" Jou shouted, fists up again.

"Tell the cops and he's dead!" the yakuza shouted back with a laugh.

Taka had Seto. The two landed rapid punches—with Taka, finally, losing his footing on gravel, sliding a little, and getting a fist to his cheek as a result. He got another just as quickly to the mouth. Bent over from the blow, Taka looked down at the ground, at the spots of red blood that were dripping down and grinned at it all. There was a fire in his eyes now. Taka grabbed a fist of gravel and threw it in Seto's eyes. The CEO made a weak attempt to block, but no luck. Taka countered with a roundhouse kick, which Seto didn't dodge in time.

Seto could feel the breath being knocked out of him. The force of it drove him backwards. He fell hard, hitting his head against the corner of the brick building. The world faded to black and Seto's body collapsed to the ground in a heap.

Inside the car, Honda had managed to pull himself upright. _Was that Jounouchi's voice?_ "Oh, hell! That hurts…" His arms were wrapped around him, feeling the ache throughout his body. Still, he forced himself into a sitting position when he heard Jounouchi scream "SETO!" He looked out the rear window in time to see Seto fall and Jounouchi's terrified face when it happened. Jou sprinted to where Seto was—not realizing that Taka had a gun aimed at him the whole time.

_Oh, no!_

Honda slammed his fist against the window, catching Taka's attention. For a brief second, the gun was aimed at him.

"Hey!" Honda yelled, pointing to the men in dark suits that were showing up with guns of their own. Seto's people had arrived.

To Honda's relief, Taka cast one angry glance at Seto and Jou, then he shoved the gun into his waistband and got into the car. Honda cast one last look out the back window as the car accelerated.

Sitting on the filthy pavement, Jounouchi pulled Seto into his lap. The CEO was bleeding from somewhere in his chestnut hair, red rills splashing down the side of his face. Jou ran his fingers gently through Seto's hair and found the source. In an instant, Seto's head was pressed against Jou's left shoulder with the pressure of a white handkerchief to stop the bleeding.

Jou's head shot up; fury written on him. "Find those bastards!" Jounouchi ordered—looking fiercely in the direction that he car had left. "I want them! DO YOU HEAR ME? I WANT THEM!" He spat out each word.

Jou's body was shaking now from adrenaline and fury. He clung onto Seto, willing himself not to cry. The sound of feet running came to Jounouchi's ears. Seto's people were making the chase. The last one, who was a woman, stopped and stared back at Jou for a second. She nodded grimly at Jounouchi and then followed the others.

"I want to get them. I want to get them for what they've done," he said under his breath. The blood had slowed and Jou dropped the bloody handkerchief. "This is just like before with Yuna and with…." No, it was a bad memory. He didn't want to think about it, but it came back to him anyway. With blood stained fingers, Jounouchi held the medallion around his neck and tightened his fist around it, looking away. "I don't…I don't want to go through that again." Jou took another shaky breath. "Please, I'm not strong enough to live through that again. Can't do it." His grip was tight now on the medallion, his knuckles white. "I lost you. I don't want to lose Seto, too. I can't…lose…Seto." He shut his eyes, sobs coming to him. For a second, Jounouchi was a gang member again and his best friend—the one he ate with and slept next to in an abandoned warehouse—was giving him the medallion. Together. They'd be together again soon. No, it was a lie. A pretty little lie…to make themselves feel better because the outcome was obvious.

_It's always goodbye, isn't it?_

"What am I doing?" Jou said with a pathetic, trembling voice. "He needs more than me. He needs an ambulance."

Jounouchi felt in his pocket for his phone. A large white hand touched his face and turned it downward. Blue eyes stared up at him with fatigue.

"Order my people around like that again, and I'll make you pay their salaries." It was followed by a smirk.

"_Seto!"_ Jounouchi said with a voice wet with tears coming. He hugged him.

"I'm bleeding all over you," came the muffled voice.

"I'm fine with that," Jou sighed with relief, tears sliding down.

"The housekeeper won't be. She does the laundry."

"Screw the laundry," Jounouchi said back joyfully.

"I don't even want to picture that in my head."

* * *


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"Exactly how long does it take to blow dry a skirt?" Yugi thought worriedly. Guilt forced him to keep a hawkish eye on the door leading to the restroom. He moved from the booth—taking, instead, the closest table to the restroom and tried to lean back in the chair casually.

_Is she mad at me for this? I bet she is_, he thought with a pout.

In his mind, Yugi ran through the events over and over—making all the things that he'd done sillier and clumsier than they actually were. He could see the annoyance on Anzu's face. He could see her wanting to clobber him for putting his hand…down…there. But, honestly, there was so much cold ice in her lap that he couldn't actually feel anything. And, frankly, Yugi wasn't sure that he would even want to if he could. After all, he was touching her…in public. At the thought, Yugi felt all of his blood rushing somewhere but decided not to pay any attention to it. He was a total and complete jerk. That was for sure. In retrospect, he wished that Anzu had hit him after all. Instead, he was left with mental 'dope slaps' that he hoped would last a lifetime.

The door to the bathroom opened with a metallic groan. It swung back again. Violet eyes looked relieved. Of course, it would be Anzu_. It just took awhile, that's all. Next stop, the bookstore and then ice coffee._

Namiko stepped out and locked eyes with Yugi, pulling the cuticle hangnail that she'd been toying with hard with surprise. She didn't expect him to be right there.

Yugi looked ashen.

_Namiko! Here! Then, where is…Anzu?_

He noticed it. A small drop of blood ran down one pink nailed middle finger. Namiko looked at Yugi and licked the red drop with the tip of her tongue. He cringed and she enjoyed it.

_That's…blood…._

"What have you done to Anzu?" His voice was shaking. Yugi could imagine all kinds of horrid things in his head. He didn't know what to do. "Tell me, now!"

Yugi had raised his voice loud enough so that the few stragglers in the back looked up from their meals and stared blandly at them. Namiko shrugged back and enjoyed the fear in the violet eyes that followed her. There was a dark, feminine laugh. She swung her purse to her other shoulder.

"Stop! You didn't answer my question." His fists were balled up at his sides like a spoiled child. In front of these strangers, it looked bad—embarrassing even—but he really needed to know.

She shook her head. "Make me," she cooed as she walked out the back door and disappeared around the corner.

Yugi gripped the knob. He opened the door leading to the restrooms and bolted in, praying that Anzu would be there, would be alive. But, he saw that drop of blood and he wasn't sure whose it was.

Yugi pushed open the door to the women's restroom with all the force he had, not caring of the consequences. It slammed back against the wall and he came face to face with Anzu.

"Oh, Anzu!" Yugi said, grabbing her and pulling her against him.

She could feel herself being hugged, but it didn't feel real. Yugi was the person she wanted by her side the most from the moment she saw Namiko. No. None of this felt real. Gingerly, she placed her arms around Yugi's waist. Anzu started to cry into his shoulder. The packet of photos gripped tightly in her hand. She was going to have to do something awful.

"Just take me away from here," she sobbed. "I'll tell you everything….just…not…right now."

* * *

"Green tea," Jounouchi said, placing the white china cup and saucer on Seto's end table. Seto barely gave it a passing glance. He was in bed with his arms folded behind his head. There was a dull throbbing that he wanted to go away. His head was hurting and Jounouchi was a total pain. Seto watched the ceiling for a bit.

Jounouchi disappeared into the walk-in closet and came out in a pair of ridiculous Red Eyes Black Dragon print pajama bottoms with a grey T-shirt. The drawstring bottoms sagged a little in the front. It was cute—kind of sexy even—however… No. Seto reminded himself that he had a mild headache. It wouldn't take much to make it worse.

"So, how does it taste?" Jou asked, trying to hide his concern. He knew the cup of green tea went untouched.

"Speaking of _taste_," Seto said tartly, looking at Jou's sleepwear. He liked Jounouchi in his black pajamas better. He made a mental note to buy more pajamas for Jou that were tasteful.

"What? Ya don't like 'em?" Jounouchi smiled a little, looking down at himself. "I think they're kinda…nice and very comfortable," he replied, looking over into ice blue eyes and forcing a smile on his face—a cheerfulness on himself that he truly didn't feel.

Seto sighed impatiently and went back to watching the ceiling.

Jou's soul ached a little at that. He wanted to reach out somehow. A touch. His hand. His face. No, he couldn't right now. Not with the annoyed look Seto had given him. But Jou wanted to so badly. Mostly, he had to stop himself from touching Seto's hair. Though, to be honest with himself, it was the very first thing he wanted to do.

_How deep was that cut?_

"And you can stop fussing over me," Seto grumbled, watching Jounouchi tucking him in. "And let's just get some sleep."

_But I just got him the tea. Sheesh!_

"Then, see a doctor," Jounouchi grumbled back under his breath, walking to the wall and flicking the lights off with a sharp click. It was only 9:27. But he didn't care.

Seto could feel the bed dipping with Jounouchi's weight as he got in. In the darkness, Seto couldn't see the ceiling but knew it was still there, and he wanted to stare at something. It just felt better to do that.

"I'm fine." Seto's voice floated in the dark.

"You were out cold, and I…" followed by an angry sigh. Jou rolled onto his side and faced away from Seto. He took more than half the covers with him when he did it. Seto tugged the covers back.

"And you were afraid," Seto finished for him.

"Yeah, I guess…" Jou stretched in the bed.

The bed jostled. Then, again. Seto could feel the body next to him stretch for the third time. He shifted awkwardly and tried to get his arms to loosen up. Seto rolled on his side but said nothing. The shadowy image of Jounouchi tossed a little but still couldn't get comfortable. Another stretch. He was deeply pissed at Seto—and the world was one, dark scribble.

Another pissed off sigh in the dark. "Just go to sleep, Seto," Jou mumbled over his shoulder. At that, Seto got out of bed and flicked the lights on again.

"What?" Jounouchi squinted up at him.

"I can't sleep."

Jounouchi's eyes widened. "You okay?" He got out of bed and met Seto half way back, feet padding softly as he went. He was searching the CEO's eyes for something with a thread of concern. And Jounouchi was shocked when he felt Seto picking him up in his arms.

"Stop looking so frightened, Puppy."

Jou blinked back at him. "Wha-?" was all he could say before Seto threw him into the bed. Jounouchi landed on his back only to have Seto grab his shoulders and roll him onto his stomach.

"You can be a royal pain. Do you know that?" Seto said evenly. He opened his end table and pulled out a small bottle of lotion. Before Jou knew it, Seto was straddling his hips, leaning down, and tugging the T-shirt off of Jou.

"Ummm… Seto?" Jou squeaked.

He could hear the lotion bottle opening with a small pop.

"Keep still," Seto purred into Jou's ear "or this could be uncomfortable." And Jounouchi did keep still. Then, he felt cool, lotioned hands rubbing his back. The hands made a soft, downward motion parallel to the spine.

"Your back is stiff from what happened today," Seto murmured, rolling a clinched fist against a knotted muscle.

_Oh, so that's what this is_, Jou thought with a pout. It was a good thing Seto couldn't see the disappointment.

"Problem?"

"I thought I was supposed to be taking care of you." For Jou, that was part of the issue. He was for sure not going to tell Seto the rest of why he felt a little let down.

Seto found another tight spot and rubbed against it with his thumbs.

"I told you. I'm fine."

"But, Seto…" Jounouchi sighed as his back began to loosen up. "And I told you that you're not alone anymore. Let me," he groaned as a muscle refused to relax to Seto's pressure, "be a part of your life."

"You are," Seto replied with a slight frown.

Jou couldn't stop himself from groaning again. "That means the 'good' and the 'bad'… ya know...?" Jou pushed his face into the pillow due to the sudden chops to the left shoulder that he was receiving. "And, another thing, Seto…." His eyes widened. "Ow! Ow! Hell, that hurts. Do you have to do that so hard? Ow! And I said, 'damn'!" He was writhing under Seto now—who enjoyed every moment of his puppy squirming. He threw his head back. "You're laughing at me, Seto, I can feel it!"

"Don't say that so loud, Puppy," Seto replied with a chuckle. "Mokuba might get the wrong idea."

Annoyed hazel eyes looked over his shoulder. There was a pout. But Jou's expression melted when he saw that Seto's small smile was real.

_He's joking with me again. And it feels better than the massage._

"And, now, for the arms," Seto said, putting more lotion on his hands.

"But…still…I want to take care of you," Jou sighed into the pillow.

"You are." Then he thought about it a little more. "But, to be truthful, I can't sleep with you tossing and turning all night."

Jounouchi shrugged at that. Seto had a point. "However," Seto continued, "I think it's more than me. You're worried about Honda." Jou heard an awkward "uh-huh." Yes, that was part of it. And, most likely, Jounouchi felt trapped between his long-time friend and Seto. Certainly, things had not gone well between the three of them. But, Jou had forgiven him and it was all in the past. Seto, on the other hand, was good at holding grudges.

"You know we'll find him."

Jou turned his head back and stared wide-eyed at Seto, followed by a brief nod. He flopped his face down into the pillow. "You want to…because…he's my friend," came the muffled pillow voice.

_Not much of a friend to you lately, but…_ Seto thought about it and rubbed Jou's right arm. "Well, no. Because you'll give me no peace until we do it." Jou was about to debate him when his arm cramped up. Instinctively, Jou pulled his arm away and gnashed his teeth. The pain got worse and he took a sharp breath.

"Your arms are worse than your back," Seto grumbled. He pressed this thumbs into the muscle and worked the kink out. The body under him relaxed a bit.

"I was holding you." It sounded more as a sigh than a statement.

Seto nodded but said nothing. _Actually, I only blacked out for a second. I know that you were holding me the whole time. I heard your voice crack. I heard everything you said. And I'm pretty sure, now, that the medallion that you wear constantly is a reminder of a lover or a close friend that you lost. Someone dear to you. That person is dead now, huh?_ Seto rubbed the arm with a little more effort. _But I also know that I mean as much, if not more, than that person did to you. I also know that…_

"Seto? What's the matter?"

"What?" Seto blinked back from his reflections.

"I've repeated myself three times. Are you okay?" His voice had a not so subtle note of fear in it.

_Now, I've done it_, Seto thought grimly.

Seto rolled away, got out of bed, and flicked the lights back off. He pulled the covers and got back into his side of the bed. Immediately, he found Jounouchi's arms around his waist. Seto was pulled into an embrace with his head leaning against Jou's bare chest. Jou's breathing was uneven and his heart rate was up. Seto could hear the heartbeats.

"Can we call your doctor now?" the blond asked.

"No," Seto said and could feel Jou's body stiffen a little under him. Jou's hands were on his back, palms wide.

_I really need to reassure him, don't I?_

Jou hugged him close. "Seto…," he began again--which, now, sounded like a whine. "There was a lot of blood."

"Head wounds usually look that way."

"But…Seto…"

The CEO sighed inwardly; he had an idea. "Um…Jounouchi? Could you do me a favor?"

"Anything."

"Could we sleep like this tonight? I'd prefer it."

"Yeah," Jou said with a smile in his voice now. "I'll even sing to you, too, if you like."

"No."

"Seriously. I'm good."

"I've heard you in the shower," Seto mumbled grimly. "You like to sing commercial jingles about Sugar Bombs and Hot Pockets."

"Hey, I've got a really good one… An oldie but a goodie….by Pink Lady about a UFO."

Seto rolled his eyes. "Say 'goodnight, Jounouchi." There was a slight chuckle there that the blond could feel between them.

"Fine," Jou sighed with a little relief that Seto could feel right away. The blond's body relaxed.

"I love you," Jou said quietly and began to drift off to sleep.

"Yes, you do," Seto murmured back.

* * *


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

It had taken Yugi and his grandfather, who had come back from the convention, more than three hours to finally calm down Anzu to the point where she felt like drinking a cup of tea. She stared down at the green liquid in the earthenware cup and shivered—even though she really didn't feel cold at all. She wondered, briefly, why she kept doing that.

"Feel better, Anzu?" Yugi asked cautiously, slipping beside her on the couch. He took the remote and flicked on the television.

Anzu nodded.

There was a jingle at the door to the store and Yugi's grandfather heard it. "Duty calls," he said in his gruff voice. He smiled politely as he walked away. Maybe, if he left the two of them alone for awhile, Anzu would open up to Yugi and tell him everything.

"I'd like to know," Yugi began quietly, eyes still on the television so that he wouldn't make Anzu feel cornered in any way, "ummm…did she… hurt you?"

Anzu shook her head "no."

"But she threatened you, though…right?"

His answer was an awkward shrug with her head down.

"You know that you're safe now." He sat closer to her and placed an arm around her shoulders. Anzu looked into worried, violet eyes, but her own were expressionless. "I just felt so…lost…when I was with her."

Yugi said, "That's understandable."

In her lap, Anzu had the packet of photos. She looked down at them with concern. A part of her wanted to just throw them away, to forget everything that had happened. To forget the message that Kaiba was to get. Then, she gave a small glance to Yugi before taking the Duel Monsters card that Namiko had given her. She held it up to her face to see the details clearly.

"That's a fake too," Yugi said, staring at "Vampire's Curse." Though, at the moment, a part of him could identify with the figure on the card. The man was clearly transforming into something awful and he didn't like it. Yugi thought the situation that they were in now was transforming, too. He didn't like it.

"Yeah," Anzu said shakily. "Namiko gave it to me."

"What?" Yugi said, his violet eyes huge. He didn't want to push Anzu, but anything that Namiko parted with was important. "Why did she do that?"

"She wants me to hand it over to Kaiba-kun."

"Whatever for?"

"I got the feeling that he wasn't following up on the fake cards. Namiko wants to add to the trouble here. So, she's giving him a push."

Anzu rubbed the colorful ink with her fingers. "The ink's not all that good, either. It's rubbing off," she said. "See?"

With a little effort, the card's colors began to smudge and blend a bit—leaving a faint dusting of ink on her fingers.

"The question is, 'should I' and would this be the right thing to do?" Anzu's eyes filled with tears again.

"Well," Yugi said thoughtfully, "we did promise to keep each other informed. Remember?" Anzu nodded to this. He added, just to make sure she'd agree, "Friends do that. Ya know?" He got a more enthusiastic nod that time. It worked a like a charm.

"I also have a private message—at least, I think it's private—from Namiko to Kaiba-kun." She looked at the photos. Yugi could guess that there was a picture of something to deliver. "I don't want to, though."

"Well, I'll see what I can set up. I'll call Kaiba-kun to find out if we can meet him somewhere before school tomorrow." He tried to smile in a reassuring way. Yugi leaned in her direction, trying to catch her eye but her face had gone blank. Suddenly, Anzu put her hand to her head. The world seemed fuzzy and she felt kind of… strange…as though every sight and sound was intense, too sharp—too clear. Her heart rate suddenly went up and she was sweating. "Yugi? I feel…" She had to focus on breathing. Anzu never really had to do that before. She looked at her inked fingers and started to laugh a little. "How wonderful," she said in a far away voice, "I never knew that a color could have a sound." She flipped the card like a Frisbee onto the coffee table. "Whoa!" she said, leaning back and laughing at it when it spun off.

"Anzu?" Yugi mumbled, shocked.

Anzu giggled uncontrollably into his shoulder as he eyed the smudged Duel Monsters card on the floor.

"Namiko?" Yugi breathed, "What have you done?"

* * *

Dinner had taken awhile to cook, and Anzu picked at her food once she got it. Deep down, she was embarrassed and her head was hurting for some bizarre reason. What possessed her to giggle and act so strangely was beyond her. "Maybe, it was just stress," she said to Yugi while putting the plates in the sink. Yeah_, right,_ she thought tartly, _I'm just freaking out because I let Namiko get to me._

"Don't bother with the counter," Yugi said, watching her try to clean up. "Let's just go back to the television." She nodded and followed him into the other room.

Sitting on the couch now, she sighed inwardly. Yes, her "squeaky clean" image was tarnished by acting like a fool. But that wasn't the worst of it. She supposed that what hurt the most was the way Yugi reacted to the situation once she was "herself again." Anzu remembered clearly the concerned looks that Yugi had given her. And, now, he was her shadow.

The pointy-haired duelist held back a yawn. He decided that he absolutely had to keep a closer eye on Anzu—even if it meant watching that boring "Celebrity News Today" show, just to make her feel more comfortable.

By the time Yugi realized that he hadn't called Seto, it was 10:08 PM. It was a little late, but he had to do it. He sighed openly. It was a necessary evil. He'd just have to call. Just pick up the phone and do it.

_Here we go_, Yugi thought as he put the phone to his ear.

Seto's cell phone was ringing in the darkness. Chestnut hair shifted against the pillow. He grumbled a cruse. Still half asleep, Seto realized, somewhat vaguely now, that he couldn't move because he had a warm sandalwood-scented body against him with an arm across his chest, legs tangled together because Jou was half on top of him.

_How did we get in this position? Hm…? Oh, well…_

_Beep-beep-beep._ Tiredly, Seto reached a hand out to get it but, missed and hit the snooze alarm on his clock instead. It didn't stop the ringing, and he suddenly came to the foggy conclusion that it was his phone.

_The one time I go to bed early…_

"Talk to me," Seto grumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and wanting to have a Blue-Eyes White Dragon eat the inconsiderate asshole on the other end of the line.

"Uh…Kaiba-kun?"

"Yugi…" Seto said the name like it tasted bad in his mouth. Jounouchi's body shifted away.

Yes, it was Yugi. Suddenly, he envisioned Yugi being crunched like a french-fry with some HP Sauce on the side. Seto smirked.

"Whatever it is, it had better be good—OOF!" To Yugi's surprise, Seto made the strange "oof" sound again and griped into the background with teeth clenched. "Oi! Do you mind putting your hand somewhere else? And keep your legs to yourself, too. I'm on the phone. Can't you see that?" An awkward pause followed. "Why, the hell, are you down there?"

"Ummm," Yugi sweat dropped, "you know…I can call back… later. I just wanted to tell you that we need to meet right away. Something important has…come up. We wouldn't bother you, otherwise."

"Fine," Seto grumbled. "Let's meet in my office tomorrow at 7 AM before school. Jounouchi and I need to tell you some things as well."

"That's…good."

Mentally, Yugi was slapping himself. First, the kiss he saw in the hallway between Jou and Seto…and now…this. Yes, it was difficult.

"And, Yugi?" Seto grouched into the phone, "Do you know what a klutz Jounouchi can be in the dark when the fool's tangled up in the comforter?"

"Yes, actually," Yugi said. "He gets disoriented in the dark, takes all the covers, and falls out of bed." Jou did that at just about every sleepover.

Seto frowned. "Great... Then, what he just did is perfectly normal."

* * *

The Kaiba Corp building was the easiest to see in all Domino City on a clear day. It loomed over the cityscape—dominating all in sight with its modern steel and glass construction. Yugi and Anzu looked up in wonder as they entered.

"Yugi…ummm," Anzu said, suddenly feeling uncertain. He simply took her hand and smiled at her reassuringly. Yugi nodded in the direction to go—his pointy, tri-colored hair, shifting slightly. Wordlessly, she followed.

As it was almost 7 AM, only the ground floor receptionist was there—hiding his cup of steaming coffee on the desk behind his computer monitor because he was forbidden to eat or drink anything in front of the other employees or cliants. It wouldn't look professional.

With a bored expression, the receptionist watched Yugi and Anzu approach. He knew just about everyone who came into the Domino branch of Kaiba Corp. And these high schoolers were, obviously, not employees. He feigned interest when the two stopped before him.

"We're to meet Kaiba-san," Yugi said somewhat timidly--his voice faint, fading away because of the sheer size of the uncarpeted ground floor.

The receptionist, a man in his early 20's who took this job because he needed the college money, looked at the computer screen, tapped a few keys, and nodded with a little surprise. They were actually telling the truth. "You are expected. Please take the express elevator up." He gestured to the elevators. "The one on the far right is the elevator to take."

Yugi and Anzu nodded and left with their footsteps echoing. Once in front of the elevator, Yugi pushed the black button on the wall and the silver tinted doors opened immediately.

"This place…" Yugi mumbled while scanning the interior as they stepped inside. The doors closed again.

"It feels more like a huge bank building in Tokyo," Anzu said, forcing herself to sound bright. "I guess…Kaiba-kun's adoptive father wanted it to look this way…fit his personality." Her cheerfulness was slipping. She added a shrug and her eyes looked far away for a second. "Kind of a mausoleum, though."

"What did you say?" Yugi asked. "I'm sorry. I just spaced out there for a second," he said while watching the lights above the door light up---3, 4, 5, 6… "We just went past the tenth floor and I don't even feel anything."

The elevator doors opened again.

Jounouchi was waiting for them in the hallway. The blond gave a friendly wave to the two of them. "I thought you might get lost or somethin'. I'm glad you made it."

"Quite a trip," Anzu said with a sigh. Yugi stepped out, too.

Immediately, Jou noticed the pained look on her face and decided he'd ask her what else was wrong a little later on. Maybe, Anzu had a spat with Yugi—though, that didn't seem likely. She appeared to be the type who'd go along with whatever he wanted as long as it made him happy.

Yugi saw the, now, shocked look. He followed her unblinking stare.

"Jounouchi!" Yugi said, approaching the blond and placing a hand on his shoulder. He came close to touching the bruises on his friend's face, but couldn't make himself do it—to cause more pain.

"Please tell me Kaiba-kun didn't do this to you," Anzu said, almost pleading.

"Whoa… Hold on there," Jou said, putting a hand behind his head, "because this is nothin'." He could see that Yugi looked miserable and Anzu couldn't tear her eyes away.

"Jounouchi-kun, if you should need us," Yugi began while rubbing the shoulder sympathetically.

"You can stay with me or something," Anzu said, feeling her voice tighten.

"You guys are the best friends I could ever hope for," Jou said, staring at the floor, "but Seto's not like that. And he didn't do this to me." On some level, Jou thought he should have been angry that his friends would jump to that conclusion. But, they didn't know Seto the way he did. And it would take Yugi and Anzu a little more time to truly accept their relationship. He'd give them that. If necessary, he would teach them that Seto wasn't the cruel bastard that they thought he was. But, it would also be quite a feat because that was exactly the image Seto wanted to project most.

Pointing to his face, Jou said, "This is part of the reason we need to talk to you. We said we'd share everything that we know." The blond shrugged but could still feel Yugi's sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

"Okay?" Jou sighed while covering Yugi's hand with his own reassuringly and Yugi nodded.

They followed Jou down the corridor and took a left.

"This way." Jou opened the door for them. There was another hallway, but with plush carpeting, a few pieces of antique furniture, and abstract artwork. Then, they entered another office that had Seto's name plate on the outside of it.

Inside, Kaiba Seto, wearing his school uniform, glanced up from his typing. He'd been at it for awhile now and the rhythm was soft. Seto sensed more movement behind his laptop screen. He stopped and looked up. Seto's mouth was a thin line.

"Made it here, I see…" he mumbled, and went back to finish the last of the long e-mail that he really wanted to get out before leaving for school. "Sit," he ordered.

Anzu frowned at him, but took a seat and placed her school things on the floor. Looking closely this time, she noticed scrapes and bruises on Seto's chin, cheek, and neck—bruises, not love bites. Something was definitely wrong. Yugi was too busy peering through the wall of glass windows beind Kaiba. His eyes took in the couch, coffee table, and carpeting in the office. Yes, the room reflected Seto's personality, Yugi guessed, which was typically clean, neat, and cold. Yugi also noted nothing personal in the office except a framed photo on the desk. Since the photo was turned toward Seto, Yugi couldn't see who it was. He guessed it was probably Mokuba.

Yugi turned his head to see Jounouchi lounging on the other end of the couch. The blond put his feet up in a casual way and caught the sight of Seto frowning at him.

Seto's sharp eyes saw the ratty, black sneakers and his face hardened. _Fine, more pajamas and new shoes for Jou. I'll have the old ones buried in the garden—but, not with the compost. Those shoes probably smell worse than the compost. Why is it that some men grow an unnatural attachment to old shoes? I can see what color socks he has on. Oh, hell… He's wearing Sponge Bob socks today. Add new socks to that list…_

Jou frowned back._ Okay! Okay! Sheesh…slave driver… This isn't exactly a formal business meeting, ya know,_ he thought with annoyance. He swung his legs over and sat upright like a solder. Jou gave Seto the old "Is this good enough?" vibe with his eyes. Seto gave his puppy another grumpy stare. Sitting up stiffly, like having a stick up your ass, was only a feeble attempt to piss him off. But, at 7 AM, Seto found himself easily pissed.

Anzu felt the beginning of a battle arua and decided to play peacemaker. "Umm…where are your…people?" Anzu asked, intentionally changing the subject. "You know…in the suits, I mean?"

Seto answered by pointing up to the silver matchbox-sized video camera hanging from the ceiling in the far corner of the office. It had a steady, red light. "I had it installed after Namiko's…last…visit. There's also a camera in my laptop. But I seriously doubt that watching close-ups of my face all day is interesting in any way."

"Speak for yourself," Jou said with a small smile.

Seto rolled his eyes. He'd have to speak to Jounouchi about using appropriate language at his workplace and, come to think of it, at school. Still, his puppy looked cute with a pinkish blush. He shifted with slight embarrassment on the couch when he got the "ah-ha!" looks from Yugi and Anzu. The blond twiddled his thumbs a little

_Okay…Cute._ Maybe, he wouldn't bother after all.

"Um…we'd like to go first, if that's okay with you," Yugi said to Kaiba. He got a short nod in response.

Yugi and Anzu glanced at each other for a second, wondering what the right words would be.

"Guys?" Jounouchi said to them curiously. But there was a thread of worry there as well. Yugi heard it and hated it. But, there was no good way to begin this conversation.

"We saw Namiko." Yugi's violet eyes locked with blue ones. The stare was serious.

"Oh, hell," Jounouchi said, resting his head in his hands.

"Was she following someone?" Seto asked, but his tone was demanding.

"In a way," Anzu said, wincing at the thought. "She's been following me…watching me."

Seto had a sudden flash of memory back to Yuna in her hospital room_. "The dark one is watching someone else. You are both safe…for now."_ Seto shook his head. No, the tarot girl was just guessing. That was all. _Maybe, Mokuba shouldn't spend so much time with her._ He bit his lower lip in thought.

"So, you saw Namiko watching you," Jou said, lifting his head.

Anzu crossed her arms. "She…actually…cornered me in the bathroom at Burger World yesterday."

Jounouchi scooted closer to Anzu and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay? She didn't do anything to you, right?"

Anzu laughed back a little. "Wasn't that what I asked you this morning when I got out of the elevator?" She smiled with her head tilted to one side. It was the first real smile that she'd had in awhile. Yugi was glad. However, Seto wasn't quite so thrilled to see his puppy moving over to "dare-to-be-bland" Anzu—even if it was out of concern. _And there's no way that Jou could see her as anything other than a friend…. But, still…_ He still felt pissed all over again. Seto leaned his elbow on the desk and brushed the feelings away.

"And then what?" Seto said coldly. He got a disapproving look from his puppy.

"Issue?" Seto almost hissed, some part of him wanting to argue with Jou now.

Hazel eyes held a dull anger. "I'll get you a coffee as soon as we're done here," Jou said, frowning. "Okay?" _You're being a total and complete ass right now. Stop embarrassing me. _His frown continued.

Yugi and Anzu were worried for a second that they'd start to argue, but, to their surprise, Seto only huffed back and leaned harder on his elbow.

"And then?" he repeated himself but in a softer tone.

Anzu looked at Seto. "She still wants Jounouchi-kun. You know…"

Seto leaned back in his chair with arms folded. "Tell me something I don't know." Seto's eyes flicked to Jounouchi for a second. The blond was looking out the window at the storm front that was moving in. It wasn't possible to read his face.

"Let's see," Anzu said, her eyes cast up towards the ceiling and counting on her fingers, "insult, insult, insult…threat, threat…Oh yeah…" She opened her purse and pulled out a Duel Monsters card in a ziplock bag. She placed it on Seto's desk.

"It's a fake," Seto grumbled. The thought of a fake card on his desk was an insult—to himself and Kaiba Corp. And the plastic baggy was just plain cartoonish. _What is it going to do? Spoil?_

"Namiko wants you to have it."

The CEO arched his brow. "Why?" Seto said, reaching out a hand and taking it now.

"I got the feeling that you're supposed to figure out the meaning of it all. It's 'Vampire's Curse' and I'm not sure what she's trying to tell you." Anzu frowned a little. "Kaiba-kun, there something really wrong going on here."

Kaiba opened the plastic bag with his brow wrinkling.

"Don't! I wouldn't do that!" Yugi warned, suddenly approaching Seto's desk and leaning on it with both hands. "I don't think you should touch the card."

"Why?" Seto's eyes looked snake-like. He didn't appreciate being told what to do in his own office. And, even more, he didn't like to be threatened by anyone or anything—Namiko included.

"When Anzu held the card last night, she started acting kind of…I dunno…It was strange."

Seto cast hard eyes at Anzu. "And strange for her would be…?"

Yugi shrugged it off. He didn't want to embarrass her in front of the others. "Just not herself. But only after she touched it."

Anzu crossed her legs and folded her arms defensively. She looked down at the carpet. Inside, she was deeply relieved that Yugi cared enough to save her ego. "Could the card be poisoned?" Anzu asked the room but didn't look at anyone. _Poisoned…Yes, poisoned would do nicely, if it were true. And I pray that it is something like that because Yugi saw a stupid side to me that I don't like._

"Unlikely," Seto returned. "The last card she showed me was held in her hand. No gloves. So, it seems unlikely that she'd poison herself." He took a closer look at the card. It was smudged in the middle a little. "I can give this to our Research and Development Office…see what they can come up with."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Anzu took a breath before she continuted, "Namiko also wanted me to deliver another message to you. But, I think, this one is private. Just you and me."

_It has something to do with that packet of photos_, Yugi reflected. _This can't be good._

"So," she said, "why don't you tell us your news?" Her voice was tired but she managed a note of hope. Seto guessed that she didn't want to hear anything more. _Too bad._

"No way!" Jounouchi said to the room. His blond, shaggy hair was shaking "no." "We all agreed that we'd be in this together. We'd all share what we know. I'm not going to be in the dark—especially since I'm the one she wants."

"The one she wants…to kill!" Seto corrected but at a much louder volume than what he'd intended. "Get that part right!"

Anzu shrunk back from the shouting. Yugi wanted to be sympathetic again, but found Jounouchi's shouting more than a little unnerving. Jou and Seto had no idea how miserable Anzu really was, or that he, himself, had to go into the women's restroom at Burger World to fetch her back. Yugi walked over to Anzu to stand near her for support.

"Honda's been kidnapped," Seto said flatly.

"What?!" Yugi and Anzu exclaimed together.

Seto ran his fingers through his hair, showing only minor annoyance. "We tried to intervene but to no avail."

"But, you have your own people!" Yugi said, feeling totally shocked and bewildered.

"The yakuza took him off the streets. And my people had express orders to protect me and Jounouchi. They had no idea that we even wanted Honda protected." Seto watched Jou's face again. He could see the guilt there. The marks on the blond's face shaded Jou's youthful features, making him seem old and alone. Seto leaned on his elbow again. "And, we did try to get him back. We _both_ tried."

"But you got the worst of it, though," Jou complained, resting his hands on his knees. He was going to explain further when he saw an almost imperceptible shake of "no" coming from Seto. Reluctantly, Jou dropped the subject.

"It doesn't look that way to me," Yugi said, turning his head back and forth between Jou's and Seto's bruises. "You have to admit, that's a nasty mark just under Jou's left eye. And there are other…"

"We tried," Seto interrupted with a note of finality.

Yugi put his hands in his pockets and stretched a little in place, rocking back and forth on his heels. _Maybe, I was too harsh._ "Thanks for trying, even if he is someone you don't…care for at all."

Seto gave him a curious look.

"Honda confessed to me what happed between you guys at school. He felt bad about it. He never wanted to hurt Jounouchi, really. I think Honda just couldn't handle," Yugi thought for a second, "the changes. And some part of him felt alone."

Anzu nodded and decided to change the subject. She suddenly realized that she was getting good at it, too. "So, what did the police say?" Anzu demanded. "Do they need you to make a statement?"

Jounouchi shook his head sadly and put a comforting hand on Anzu—a hand that Seto wanted to push off with more than a little force. It looked so…weak.

Jou broke it to her gently. "They said that if we called the police, they'd kill Honda. So, you see…"

"Wait! No one knows? But…well….," Anzu said with wide eyes turning to Yugi, "I'm sure that his family will notice _him not coming home_."

"They would if they were here," Jou answered. "When I was moving out of my father's place, Honda mentioned that his folks were visiting the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. Honda's father was in the Japanese Army for awhile and some of his old army buddies were planning to be there, too. Kind of a reunion…" Jou sighed openly. "Honda thought he'd be bored. So, he decided to stay at home." Jounouchi flashed a worried look over to Seto. "He won't be missed for at least a week."

Seto laced his fingers together against his chest and leaned back against his chair. The bright day glimmered through the windows behind him but the storm was moving closer, too. "Then, we've got a week to get him back and end all of this."

"Can we?" Yugi asked.

"Seto's a pretty determined kind of guy. So, I'd say 'yes.'" Jou smiled a little.

Seto smirked his trademark smirk. He knew that it would make the room feel better. He glanced at Jounouchi again. _I've really gotten soft. Making someone other than Mokuba feel better was never a goal of mine. But, I've got to keep my puppy happy and if this is the way… Still, he's not going to like what comes next._

"Then, everyone needs to leave while I talk to Anzu alone."

"Wha-?" Jounouchi said. He'd suddenly jumped from the couch, leaning forward with hands balled up into fists. "There's no way! You are not leaving me out of this."

"Do it," Seto said dangerously. "I believe that Namiko wanted me to hear something. I need to know what it is."

"No," Jou said back defiantly. "You'll have to make me move."

It was Anzu's turn to roll her eyes. "You may be a couple," she said, thinking that it was the most awkward thing she ever had to say out loud in her life, "but he still has the right to privacy."

Yugi had to agree. Even though Jou was mad at him now, it was the truth. "I'm sorry Jou," he said seeing angry hazel eyes in his direction, "I know you see this as a betrayal—me not siding with you. But, if things were reversed, wouldn't you like to hear something private on your own?"

"Maybe," he grumbled.

"Still friends?" Yugi asked, offering a hand.

"Yeah," Jou said defeated. They shook.

"Hey, let's get that coffee that Kaiba-kun wants."

"I think 'needs' would be a better word," Jou returned with a small chuckle. Reluctantly, he left the room with his friend without giving Seto a parting glance.

The dragon blinked back slowly—watching them leave. Some part of Seto felt relieved because he definitely didn't want an audience if he could help it. He needed time to observe, reflect, and plan. The only part that really irked him was that Anzu was the one Namiko had picked as a messenger. She did that for a reason, too. She probably hoped that Anzu would tell Yugi and word would spread.

"Close the door," Seto said to Anzu. He powered down and closed his laptop when she did it. "So, what else does the bitch have to say to me?"

Anzu opened her purse again. She put the packet of photos on the desk. "You're not going to like what I have to say."

"Do I ever?" His tone was ice.

"I suppose not."

"Will you be spouting more 'friendship' and togetherness crap to make me feel better?"

Anzu laughed at herself a little. "Not this time," she said quietly. She took a deep breath. "Namiko wanted me to tell you to hand over Jounouchi-kun…or the person in these photos _will learn the truth_."

Blackmail. Okay, he could handle that. What kind of business deal did he make that Namiko could twist on him to make him look bad?

"The truth about what?" Seto murmured while opening the envelope.

Anzu hedged. She pursed her lips for a second.

"You know that I haven't told Yugi a thing about this…at all."

_Like I care…_ He narrowed his eyes. "The truth about what?" Seto said, his voice frigid.

"The truth about how your adoptive father…Kaiba Gozaburo…really died."

Seto suddenly shot Anzu a blank look mixed with an emotion that she couldn't read. He tightened his slim fingers around the envelope and the paper crunched beneath the stress. Anzu took a sharp breath when he did it. For the first time, she didn't feel safe around Seto and didn't know what he'd do next.

* * *


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"I see…" Seto growled, looking down at the crunched packet of photos in his hands. He was doing his best to control his temper, but he could feel himself getting angry, really angry. Seto hated 'losing it' if he had the choice not to. But, still, it was hard. Seto also had the sudden urge to verbally rip into Anzu because she was there, looking the way she always did, with pity and that stupid sense of "friendship conquers all." But, then, he might say something truthful—too truthful. The less Anzu knew, the better.

"Did you hear me, Kaiba-kun?" she prodded. Her fingers knotted together. Her eyes filled with tears.

_Weak_, he thought acidly.

Anzu tried to pick her words carefully this time. "Namiko says that if you don't turn _our Jounouchi-kun_ over to her…"

_Wait… What did she just say…? 'Our Jounouchi-kun'…? No! She did not just say that! _

The floodgates opened.

"I get it! I get it!" Seto was suddenly shouting now. "If I don't, then she will…"

Now, some part of Seto wanted to throw the crappy photos against the nearest wall. This was total and complete bullshit. He was livid now. And what made it even worse was the realization that this was exactly the reaction that Namiko wanted from him. She'd probably be thrilled to know that he lost his temper and was in a state of barely controlled fury.

_I have to stop this! It isn't getting me anywhere at all. I'm going to need to learn more and look for a way…to kick Namiko's ass into the next prefecture._

"I'm sorry! But, you know, we should really calm down right now." _Actually, 'we' meaning 'you,'_ she thought. Anzu shrunk back. Not knowing what else to do with herself, she sat down on the couch again with a hard "plop" that sent her uniform's skirt fluttering. She pulled it down against her knees. "I know that she sent this message to you to hurt you."

_What? Sympathy now? Can't she shut up?_ He gritted his teeth. "No one can hurt me," Seto said, his voice deep.

"Now, that isn't exactly true," Anzu debated. It was time for him to get a reality check. "We all have…people…we care about. Like it or not, whether they're friends or…" _Or lovers…_ "Their opinions…really…do matter."

Icy blue eyes regarded her. Was she fishing for information? The very thought made him seethe in another way entirely.

"Kaiba-kun, I'm sorry. I really am," she whined and tucked a strand of brown hair behind her left ear. "I really am." Her eyes looked so sad. "I hate everything that is going on right now."

That time, he almost believed her—almost. Or was this just a ploy to keep him from boiling over even more?

The CEO in him began to take over. All of his anger was pointless. He internalized most of it, but felt his hands still gripping onto the armrails of his chair anyway. "Well," Seto said thickly because he didn't want to continue this particular conversation for much longer, "did she give any deadline?"

"Eh?" Her head tilted.

"Dolt. Don't you have ears? I said, 'did she give…'"

"What?" Anzu's eyes shot open now. "I heard you plain and clear!" She stood up from the couch and approached his desk. "D-Deadline?" she squeaked out the word and Seto blinked at her.

_What is her problem? Stupid bitch, _he thought darkly.

"How, the hell, can you say 'deadline' when we're talking about Jounouchi-kun?" She pointed towards the closed door.

A truly angry Anzu was almost comical. Her cheeks were puffed out, her arms folded against her ample bosom defensively, and she was shouting in the squeaky fashion of an unruly four year old who wanted to eat a third cookie before lunch.

"Do calm down," Seto said. His mouth was a thin line. He found it a bit ironic that he was uttering the same thought back to her that she'd communicated only minutes before.

And, then, at that point…she lost it.

"CALM DOWN! NOW, YOU'RE TELLING ME TO CALM DOWN?!" Her eyes were wide and she started pacing. "You are, by far, the biggest asshole I've ever met! Do you love Jounouchi-kun or not?" She threw her hands up in the air.

Seto opened his mouth to respond. "Don't bother!" she shouted. "I know the answer already because you want a _deadline_ to hand him over!" She paced again. "But, how could you? If you don't love him, how could you _be with him_? He'd sacrifice everything just to _be with you_. Can't you understand that?"

Seto started to answer. Anzu dismissed it with an angry wave of the hand. Seto's next look was dangerous. He thought, briefly, about picking her up and dumping her bony butt out of his office. He glared again and Anzu quickly ignored it. She walked around the desk, facing Seto with a hand on her hip. "You are the only person he's ever loved!"

Seto blinked back at the news. He knew it. He really did. But, he was floored to know that Jou's friends knew it, too. Jou was so shy with affection at times. And they weren't exactly affectionate in public. They both wanted to keep things quiet and low key.

Seto tilted his face down toward his closed laptop. This fight was quickly turning uncomfortable. He didn't want to discuss what he felt for Jounouchi with Anzu or anybody just yet—if ever.

Anzu wasn't through with him yet. "…And you're going to destroy the only happiness you'll ever have by handing him over…you total and complete asshole!" She was leaning over and yelling harder now. It surprised Seto that she was able to do that. "I wanted to believe so badly that you could love him. I wanted to believe. I needed to… because Jounouchi-kun needs you." Anzu had tears in her eyes now because everything seemed so hopeless. It amazed Seto how she could be that mad and to start to cry that hard. "How c-can you be such a cold-hearted bastard?!" Tears fell from her face. Now, she was starting to sob. "You're HORRIBLE! Fuck that! You're a monster." She pointed a finger at him. More tears were sliding down her cheeks.

"I hate you." Anzu's hands were over her face now. "I just hate you so much. You're going to destroy him when you do that. And there's no way I can even stop you."

She sobbed into her hands in such a pathetic way that Seto found it almost impossible to be angry anymore.

_Girls_… he thought darkly. _Ugh! How does Yugi put up with that? I'm glad I'm gay._

In the next office, two of Seto Kaiba's men in suits were watching the monitor that had Seto's office running on the screen. They didn't need the sound to hear Anzu's voice. She was loud—muffled but loud.

"Oi," the taller one said, "look at the screen. Do you think we should check in on Kaiba-sama to see if he needs any help?"

The other, a fat Japanese man with chickenpox scars on his face, opened a bag of shrimp flavored chips. "Nope," he mumbled and offered the bag. "Want some?"

"Nah," said the first, "my wife gave me natto and rice for breakfast. "I'm full," he said but snuck a chip out of the bag anyway. "Besides," he said smacking loudly, "who would be scared of that little shrew? She cries like my wife when she has PMS. I'm sure that high school girl makes her boyfriend—it's that guy we saw with the pointy hair, by the way—absolutely miserable."

"Kaiba-sama certainly puts up with a lot." He chuckled.

"Yeah, he sure does."

Outside the office, Yugi and Jounouchi returned with coffee for everyone. The steam had a nice scent to it which floated up lovingly. The blond closed his eyes briefly to take it all in.

When he opened his eyes, Jou realized that Seto's door was still closed and Jounouchi heard himself sigh for the one hundredth time. This day was sucking royally and it hadn't even really started. Plus, they had to leave soon or they'd be late for school. Then, Yugi and Jounouchi heard Anzu's raised voice on the other side of the wood door. "Calm down?!" The venomous tone continued to seep through but the words remained muffled until, "you…love him…" and "asshole" followed by "horrible," "cold-hearted" and "fuck that!"

"Oi," Yugi said with a wiggly eyebrow, "are you sure that Kaiba-kun didn't do something to you that…you…didn't want?" He darted is eyes away and said, "I mean, they are…discussing photos in there. Right?"

Jounouchi blushed and cut his eyes roguishly in Yugi's direction. "Oi, Yugi? Anzu's got quite a set of lungs."

Yugi rested his hands on his hips and gave a pouty stare.

Jou shot a grin back. "But I mean… She's got quite a mouth." His tone seemed ingenuine for a variety of reasons. He leaned in with a grin.

"You didn't answer my question, Jounouchi-kun," Yugi laughed.

"Well, you didn't, either."

"Yeah, I know."

* * *


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The storm rolled in—making the sky a steel grey and the temperature drop considerably in only a few minutes. Jounouchi's school uniform, which was usually quite comfortable, wasn't warm enough. The wind blew through it—making him feel cool, too cool. He shivered a little as he stood there by the open limo door.

Minutes before, Yugi and Anzu had easily stepped out of the limo that was parked behind the school and hurried inside. Seto had the pair dropped off there to keep others at school from noticing that the four of them were all arriving at once. Seto insisted that it was necessary to keep things looking as normal as possible. Seto waited for a few minutes with Jou inside the limo before giving the nod and having them leave, too.

"It would probably have been better," the CEO commented, "to have you leave next on your own." When he didn't get an answer, he took that as agreement. Jou just stood by the door and shivered again. Seto began his march towards the school.

Jounouchi carried his own school things and walked two steps behind Seto. He was quiet, lost in his thoughts. _Those photos… What's in them?_ But, it was more than that. Jou felt left out. Alone. He hated the situation that he was in. And some part of him wanted to reach out for assurance, for comfort. Deep down, he wanted to walk next to Seto and lock pinkie fingers with him again. Or, he'd just be happy walking shoulder to shoulder to keep even a part of him warm against his better half. That last thought crossed his mind when a drop of rain fell on his face. It streaked down his cheek. He looked up at the sky. The wind blew back blond hair in gusts. The wind tugged at him in different directions—all at once seemingly—and he felt mesmerized by it for a second.

It would be good to just merge with it and fade away.

"Keep walking," Seto grumbled, somehow knowing that the blond had stopped.

"Worried?" Jou said back.

"You're fool enough to stand in the rain even though you're freezing."

"How did you know that?" Jounouchi replied with a quirky, confused frown on his face.

"I know you," Seto said softly, cutting his eyes backward.

The blond shook his head with a melancholy smirk. "Yeah, I love you, too."

"Keep your voice down," his companion cautioned. But, a part of Seto flashed back to Anzu's rant. Apparently, all of Jounouchi's friends knew just how much the puppy loved him. And, as unbelievable as it sounded, they wanted Jou's happiness, too—even if it meant being with him. Knowing that made Seto feel uneasy somehow, like he was going to lose it all in some way very soon. Suddenly, for some reason Seto couldn't fathom, he had the need to pull Jounouchi close to him and hold on for dear life.

_Weak_, he thought to himself again. _Yes, I've gone soft._

"I know. I know." Jounouchi sighed deeply. Seto was being Seto again. "I guess you're right. Let's just get this day overwith," Jou said while stepping through the hallway leading to the cafeteria. Tilting his head slightly, he caught another look at Seto's profile. He seemed almost sad now.

_I can't have that_, the blond thought. _So, here we go…_ "But, first, I want a snack."

"It's always food with you."

Jounouchi smiled back wickedly. "It's not always food that I want."

Seto stopped like a tin soldier, turned, and shot him a stern look. Seto marched back to the blond and said in a low voice, "Well, that's all you're getting during school hours."

"Oh, really?" The blond countered, "I haven't had much of anything…lately." There was a devilish grin challenging Seto now.

Long, thin fingers flipped back chestnut hair. He thought about it a little more and said with his arms crossed, "And, if you really annoy me, some puppy I know will be sleeping on the couch."

"Whoa? Me?" He pointed to his nose. "But your mansion has something like…I dunno… fifty-six bedrooms!"

"The couch," Seto cautioned. He started walking again.

"Fine," Jou pouted, still walking behind him, "I'll sleep on the couch…alone…unloved…by myself…" A totally fake sniffle followed.

Seto shoulders slumped and Jou smiled a little at that.

"The couch…with the TV… remote…snacks….crumbs on the couch…sodas on the wood coffee table with watermark rings because I don't know how to use a coaster…"

The taller man stopped in his tracks and turned back.

"Fine," Seto hissed, seeing that this would be an even worse scenario, "Sleep with me tonight!"

At that point, Ms. Akira, the sixty-two year old librarian had stepped around the corner. Her eyes widened in surprise and she tottered off with a very confused look on her face. She took out her hearing aid, checked the battery, and gave the gadget a serious thump to get it working again. Obviously, it was on the fritz.

Seto tilted his head down and gave the floor a narrow stare. With gritted teeth, he said, "I hate my life."

"I'm sorry…Seto," Jounouchi mumbled with an awkward shrug. Then, he mentally kicked himself. "I just said 'Seto,' didn't I…oh, man…" His voice was sincere that time. No joking.

Blue eyes regarded him a little. "Do you want to start calling me 'Seto' in school?"

Jounouchi shook his head "no." He laughed a little at the thought. "Just around the people who matter to me… and you…for now."

A girl in her skin tight blue and white PE uniform passed them in the hall. She skipped a little when she saw Seto and smiled brightly—continuing on her way in the hopes that he noticed.

"Hmmm… pretty," Jounouchi remarked offhandedly with a soft glow in his eyes. He pretended to admire the view of the blue shorts retreating down the hallway. _Suggest that I sleep on the couch, will you, Seto…?_ he thought to himself. His hands were in his pockets and he rocked back and forth on this heels.

Seto's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me. I'm standing right here." He was openly frowning now. "Care to explain yourself?" Blue dragon eyes looked very unhappy.

"You're the one she likes," he said casually, intentionally keeping his face straight.

"I don't care."

"You're the one she wants."

"I don't care."

"You're the one I want."

"I don't ca-" Seto frowned again. "You did that on purpose," he said while leaning into Jou's face. His anger melted with Jounouchi's laughter.

"So, _I do_ mean something to you," the blond replied with a grin.

"_Bad puppy_," he whispered,_ "I may have to spank you." _He straightened up and tugged his school jacket in place nonchalantly.

"Oh, no. That's not bad," Jou teased. "This is!" Casting a quick glance around him, he stood on his toes, and gave Seto a velvet kiss on the lips.

Seconds later, Seto's thumb still stroked his lower lip while he was watching Jounouchi's shrinking form walk down the hall with a more than satisfied strut.

_My puppy is getting bolder. Just how much longer we can keep this up…I wish I knew._

* * *

Seto walked into the school office, looking politely bored while the rain was beating down on the windows. On the one hand, he was glad to get out of history class. God only knows how that woman could drone on and on with her stupid little pointer aimed at Hokkaido. He thought back sarcastically about her whiney voice. "Hokkaido's recorded history starts in 658. Can anyone tell me who did the actual recording? Hint, everyone, there was a large navy in the vicinity…"

_Blah…blah…blah…_

"Here you go, Kaiba-kun," the elderly secretary said with a knowing wink, handing the envelope over. "I suppose you shouldn't be getting any business letters here at school—because the principal would be…well… oh, so mad—but, _she_ was such a _nice_ young _lady_ to go out of her way to drop it off…" The secretary winked at him.

"Lady?" Seto breathed. He never allowed any of his business correspondence to be delivered to the school. The faculty and staff were idiots and could lose something important. Also, he preferred electronic mail because it left a papertrail in the Kaiba Corp computers.

He gave a semi-polite half-nod, which was as much reverence as he'd give to any elderly person, and took the letter. Seto's pulse quickened. At this moment, he knew that he had to make this all seem like it wasn't a big deal. Seto thought, _Maybe, I'm being watched_. He looked around casually as he left. _There's no one around, though. Or, at least, it seems that way._ He took the letter with him into the restroom. Seto found a stall, locked the door, and ripped the envelope open.

The business envelope had only a single sheet of pink paper inside. In a perky font, the letter said only "five days from now, roof, Bank of Japan building near the waterfront."

Seto crunched the letter in his hand. He hated her.

* * *

Once again, work sucked. Seto had to put up with a lot of needless memos and e-mails from his apple polishing executives. Sometimes, it was amusing to have his butt kissed by the elite group of older men. Under the traditional Japanese system, they should have out ranked him, being older and wiser. Older and wiser was a laugh. Seto didn't respect a single one of them even though he had to go through the motions. But, today, they annoyed the hell out of him and he made no effort to hide it. Still, it was a part of the way businesses were run in Japan. The execs were obligated to him for their jobs, any new business contacts that they'd made, and the minor perks that came with their positions. But, it wasn't all easy—especially if Seto had something on his mind. And, today, he had a lot going on.

Seto left his white sportcoat, laptop, and meeting agendas on the kitchen counter. Now, he was rummaging around in the kitchen, opening the containers of dinner that the cook had left for him and giving them a bit of a sniff with a curled lip. Spinach. He hated spinach. He really needed to send the cook a memo about that. Oh, yes. A note on the kitchen counter would probably be better.

"You look beat," said a calm male voice in the doorway.

Seto looked up to see Jounouchi, hair still damp from his shower, entering the kitchen. He was wearing blue and green plaid draw-string pajama bottoms and a white shirt that showed off his chest and arms quite well. The medallion hung down. A small smile played on the corners of Seto's lips. He fought it back a little but his eyes smiled anyway.

Jounouchi gave him a quick hug and then went to the refrigerator for a drink.

"Oh, and I'm sorry," Jou said while twisting the bottle open, "that I kissed you at school today. It was kind of a stupid thing to do because someone could have seen us. Ya know?" He said it with a shrug to end the thought. The bottle hissed as it opened.

Seto's face screwed up into a scowl at the sight of what Jounouchi was holding. "What is that you're drinking?" he said with revulsion.

"This?" he pointed to the green, plastic bottle. "Oh, it's the newest thing out. It's called "Cucumber Ice Pepsi." He grinned and took a huge swig. "And on some of the bottles, the whole label is backwards. So, you need a mirror to read it." He took another huge swig. "It goes great with onigiri!"

Jou took a few steps toward Seto—offering the bottle. "You can drink come. Think of it as an indirect kiss."

Seto sniffed at it. "I'd rather die," he grumbled.

"Than kiss me?" Jou laughed back.

"It's an abomination," Seto grumbled, motioning toward the bottle.

"More for me," Jou said with a laugh. He leaned in for a kiss, but Seto turned his face away. "You have cucumber breath." Jou chuckled, tried to kiss him anyway, and Seto pulled further back. Before they knew it, they were wrestling in the kitchen and the puppy was laughing at him openly. Seto had his hands gripping Jounouchi's wrists. The blond couldn't go farther but couldn't get away, either. "Wait! Wait! I'm gonna spill it!" Jou laughed while trying to steady his hand.

"You're going to be wearing it if you're not careful!" Seto challenged. "Then, I'll have to bathe my puppy all over again."

"In your dreams!" Jounouchi chuckled, leaning forward for another attempt at Seto's lips before being pushed backwards.

"I thought those _were_ your dreams after the back rub I gave you." Jou's jaw dropped at that. Then, they both laughed that time.

Jounouchi backed off a little, trying to catch his breath, and then took another swig. "I can't be wearing it if I drink it all." He laughed with a bit of a wheeze in it and stepped away from his better half. The blond moved to put the bottle on the counter and saw Seto's laptop, papers, and the photos.

The smile ran away from Jou's face when he saw the packet was wrinkled and opened slightly.

_Ouch…_ Seto wanted to say something, but wasn't sure what.

"So, lemme guess," Jounouchi said sadly. A sigh followed. "I think…she's blackmailing you with something."

"That would be a 'yes,'" Seto returned, putting his hands into the pockets of his trousers. He wanted to remain casual, but it was hard to do.

For a minute, Jou looked the way he usually did when sorting out his Duel Monsters cards. "For blackmail to work, it would have to be some kind of secret…something that would make you look bad to others or would ruin your company."

Seto shrugged back. "Blackmail usually works that way," he said quietly.

"The most important person to you is Mokuba," Jounouchi said thoughtfully. "And, you know, he is a pretty bright kid—even if he is thirteen. He can handle anything that's happened in the past…or the present… and he'll still look up you." Jounouchi glanced at the packet on the counter. A part of him really wanted to see, but that would ruin their relationship, maybe permanently. "Or, it could have something to do with your business. Though, my guess is that it's both. For it to really hurt, the way Namiko like it…it would have to be both."

The blond sighed. Instead of feeling better, he felt worse. Seto only huffed a response.

"So, you've looked through all of the pictures, Seto?"

"Yes," he said with a small nod.

"And it's that bad?" Jou knew he was dancing around the subject. He really wanted Seto to tell him, but this secret—whatever it was—had to be incredibly painful or embarrassing.

Seto looked away. He knew what the next question was going to be.

"At some point," Jounouchi said, "I know that you'll trust me enough to tell me." He looked up into ice blue eyes. "And it will be okay."

Seto looked back with his jaw open a little. "I thought you were going to…"

"What? Twist your arm into telling me?" Jou smiled back sadly. "We all have things in our past that we're not proud of." Seto noticed Jounouchi twisting his fingers around his medallion. "We all have things that we just can't talk about." _But I wish you would because you are a lot stronger than I am. Maybe, I could… if you could. But, it's too much to ask right now._ Jou looked away for a second and thought about it.

"Come to bed soon, okay?" Jounouchi said, kissing Seto on the cheek and leaving the kitchen with his drink in his hand.

Seto watched him go. His walk seemed defeated—which was new to him because of all the times the two of them dueled, and Jou lost to him, he never looked like that.

Seto leaned against the kitchen counter with his arms crossed against his chest and silently cursed himself._ I didn't even tell him about the letter that Namiko sent to me at school. It would have been honest to tell him that at least. And I will. But not tonight. _Seto's eyes rested on the closed door again. _How can he be so understanding?_

Yes, life sucked royally.

Seto turned and reached for the packet of photos and opened them again. He felt like he'd memorized all of them. They were taken with a high powered lense. Still, everything could be seen clearly. The first photo was of himself, Mokuba, and Jounouchi while getting into the limo. The second photo was of Mokuba and Jounouchi, talking to each other, laughing at some private joke between them, he assumed. The remaining photos were of Jounouchi—walking into the school building, moving boxes out if his father's home, working at the coffee shop… The last photo had a yellow sticky note on it. Seto took it off to look at the photo once again. It was taken in this very room, his own kitchen—through the window that night when they heard the bang on the glass. Seto could see Jou was kissing him with flour caked all over his chin and cheek. The kiss was a mixture of amusement with deep pleasure, hands making a flour trail up Seto's back. The hazel eyes were closed.

The yellow sticky note said in Japanese, "I wonder how he'll react when he knows he's been sleeping with a murderer? Give him to me, Kaiba-sama. Because, either way, you'll lose him."

* * *


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Namiko stretched and leaned back luxuriously in the crisp hotel sheets. She stared over at the male figure sitting on the edge of the bed. His shirt was still off and he'd just finished zipping up his trousers.

"Nice shark," she murmured, sitting up a little and sliding a finger down Taka's spine. She was happy to observe a slight shiver when she did it.

"Thanks. Most people in my…organization…like tigers and dragons. But, I prefer sharks."

The teenaged yakuza had a full body tattoo. The most remarkable design was that of a shark in blue water on his back. The eyes lacked a soul and stared hopelessly into Namiko's dark brown eyes. It seemed that the shark would have enjoyed shredding her to pieces. The thought amused her.

Namiko leaned on her side and regarded her new, albeit temporary, sex partner. _Typical late teen lover_, she thought, _full of power but no art. He bored me half way through. Eventually, I just gave up and let him have his way—not that he noticed. Men this age are so selfish._

She pulled the sheets around her bosom a little.

"Just curious," Taka said, cutting his eyes backward in her direction, "why…invite…me to your hotel room?"

"I thought you'd enjoy it," she purred, "and, besides, you represent Voice of the East Gang. So, there's that point of…interest."

She got a crooked grin and a "humph" as a response.

"So, will I see you later on tonight?" she hinted.

He hesitated, buttoning up his white shirt. "Sorry, not tonight," he said and watched with great amusement as the woman seemed to pout at him. "We're having a meeting at the warehouse," he said with a shrug.

"Well, I could come along with some other ladies to entertain you all." She smiled winningly. "We could serve you drinks, food, and a…little conversation. I'm sure you'd _enjoy_ it."

It was no accident that Namiko kept using the word "enjoy" when talking to him. And it seemed to work. Taka's eyes glowed with the thought. He was very tempted to do it, but then remembered the other three, much older, yakuza that he'd been working with.

"Sorry, honey," he said while leaning in for another kiss. She nipped his lower lip, pulled him on top of her, and felt his hands on her shoulders. "I told you 'no' for a reason," he chuckled into her shoulder.

"Why?" She made her eyes look sad when he stared into them.

"Because, like I said a minute ago, we have a meeting at the warehouse. And we have a few details to work out."

Namiko nodded with understanding. "So, the Voice of the East Gang has to deal with that teenage Honda kid. I can understand that. It makes sense." She tried to sound supportive. "Of course, for a fee, I can deal with him for you. That way, your…_organization_…won't be involved. I'd hate for anything bothersome to get back to you or your…friends." She smiled winningly and traced the curve of his face with a pink fingernail.

"Sorry, but I don't call the shots on this one. And that guy, Honda, may still have some uses." He tickled her chin back. She pretended to like it. "Eventually, though, I might…"

"You might…what?" she smirked.

"Be the boss…" He flashed an arrogant grin that he hoped would impress her.

She batted her eyelashes girlishly. "The boss?" She eyed him. "Of all _four_ of you?" Namiko knew very well that the supposedly extinct Voice of the East Gang had, originally, thousands of members. Her life as a yakuza's illegitimate daughter had taught her at least that much. Yes, Taka and his cohorts were doing this little bit of business on their own—a dangerous prospect at best.

He frowned at her. Taka couldn't tell if she was mocking him or if she was just chatty. Maybe, she was looking for another job, as she said. The "fee" part wasn't a surprise to him. But, still, it was hitting too close to home.

"Sorry," she said quickly, eyes down on the sheets. She made sure she dropped the sheets a little to show off her best assets. Namiko glanced up. Yes, he was admiring the view again and not what she'd just said.

Taka went back to putting his shoes on. He tied the laces quickly and tightly. He was starting to tie the other shoe when she leaned forward and placed her arms around his neck. He could feel her warm, naked bosom against his back. "So, when are we going to see each other again?"

"Oh, that," Taka said, taking an awkward breath as she sat back down in the bed.

"You want to be with me again, right?" She giggled girlishly. "I could teach you a few things that I know." _So that I won't be bored stiff next time._ "So, I think you'll really like them." _Because you're a brainless wonder…_ She grinned and leaned forward.

"Yeah, maybe," he said noncommittally.

_What? Oh, no. You are not going to dump me,_ she thought acidly_. I'll be the one to do the dumping, if necessary—your skinny ass in the nearest ditch, that is. _Her right hand slid quietly under her pillow, feeling the edge of the dagger that she kept under there, just in case.

"But, how will I reach you?" she said sweetly, her fingers curving around the weapon. "It was only by accident that I saw you at the restaurant today." _Actually, you teenage perv, I know you eat at the same restaurant three times a week. How can you eat the same thing every time? So, if you bought that 'sweetie baby' line, I've got cha._

He sighed openly, giving her that old "You really want some more of this, don't you?" look in his eyes. "Well, if you insist… Here's my card." He put his hand in his shirt pocket, took out a business card, and handed it over to her.

"You've got to be kidding me," she said, eyes bulging at the card and dropping her voice. She suddenly had a rough, hard edge to her words that shocked Taka a little. She screwed up her face slightly. "Wow, I had no idea that you have a logo for Her voice trailed off at the end.

"Modern times," he said proudly.

"A phone number, fax, _and_ an e-mail address…"

"Yup."

"Fine," she said, going back to her sweetie voice. "Then, I'll call you later so that we can…hook up."

He winked at her while buckling his belt. Then, Taka reached into his wallet, pulled out some money, and tossed it on the bed. "For your time," he mumbled.

_No! He did not just do that to me like I'm a common…_ Namiko's face flickered a little. She tightened her fist around the dagger and sliced her thumb against it—causing her eyes to water.

Taka saw her expression. _Oh, how cute… She's going to cry because I'm leaving. I must be better in bed than I thought._

She shrugged in a girly way, her narrow shoulders pushed together. Then, Namiko waved as he walked out.

Never bothering to even glance at the money, she waited to hear his footfalls leading away. When she did, Namiko got out of bed, put her bleeding thumb in her mouth, and sucked on it. Then, she went over to her purse on the desk. She opened a flap to reveal a digital video camera. It had been pointed at the bed this whole time. She turned it off and looked at it with a happy smirk. "Now, I've got a little video editing to do. If I'm lucky, I've got some nice insurance to make sure that I've got my next job lined up once I'm done with Domino for good."

Namiko laughed to herself, put the camera back into her purse, and went to the bathroom for a shower.

_That Taka's a total idiot. I've even got his card._

* * *

Jounouchi was walking down the hall with Yugi and Anzu. As much as he liked being with his two friends, he found himself missing Honda terribly. It was mostly the little things that kept nagging at his mind when he could distract himself. But, now, not knowing where his friend was or how he was being treated… His soul felt dark at the thoughts that kept coming to him. 

He felt sad and a strange kind of loneliness. He tried to shake the thoughts away again and to focus on the positives.

Since starting his relationship with Seto, Jou noticed that his better half would sit one table away, now, instead of on the other side of the room. At lunch, with his back to the Geek Squad, Seto would busy himself in work. He'd keep typing on his laptop—as usual. But, there was a quiet connection between them. And, just knowing where the other one was, even if they were not sitting side by side, was enough-- because each was doing what he truly wanted to do. There was a comfort in that.

Jou, walking down the hallway now, felt his heart sinking. The blond didn't like the feeling at all. He had two friends with him and God only knew where Seto was now. Usually, he'd see him in the hall on his way to Japanese Classics. But, at the moment, he didn't.

Jou told himself that he was being paranoid. He needed to focus on what was going on and to look at things realistically. But, at the moment, he felt that even that subtle connection with Seto had gone missing.

"Why so quiet?" Anzu said, frowning at him.

"Dunno… I just feel like something's up." He sighed as he saw the open doorway to his Japanese Classics class. _Oh, well. I have this class with Seto. So, maybe, I can at least feel better about seeing him again._

Seto suddenly appeared at the opposite end of the hall, folding up his mobile phone and slipping it into his pocket. Jounouchi smiled at that. Maybe things were looking up after all. Then, he noticed the deep frown. _Shit_, he thought, _something's gone wrong. I can just tell._

Seto approached them quickly with his usual long strides. "Roof," he said and took off before they could ask anything more.

* * *

The metal door leading to the roof of the Domino High School building opened with a metallic groan. Yugi, Anzu, and Jounouchi walked through. Seto was already there—waiting for them with a scowl on his face. 

Feeling slightly embarrassed for his better half to be acting that way, Jounouchi stepped ahead of his friends and approached him first.

"Seto? Something's wrong. I can tell."

"You're right," he said with a nod in the blond's direction. "But I didn't want to say anything because we might be overheard. This is the safest place."

The four of them looked around. There wasn't anyone. And the flat roof gave no hiding places.

Jounouchi let his gaze move on past the roof, through the wire fencing, and down to the street below. There were very few cars. He looked up. The sky was a cloudless blue. It seemed like the perfect, peaceful moment until the tardy bell started to ring.

"It looks like we're skipping class," Anzu said with a scowl.

"I'm sure Kaiba-kun wouldn't ask us to do this unless it was important," Yugi chimed in. He looked at Seto with violet eyes.

Seto nodded at them and gave one last glance around. "My Research and Development Director just called me about the card we left with them to be analyzed. And it's not good."

His audience of three blinked back owlishly.

"Anzu, just how did you feel when you were holding that card?"

The direct question made Anzu squirm. She didn't like it. And she especially didn't like it coming from Mr. Stuck-up CEO.

"We're friends," Jounouchi said, placing a friendly hand on her shoulder, "and we'll understand. So, just tell us."

Anzu looked down at her feet. "Well, my heart was racing. I felt strange." She started to wish she'd never mentioned the effects in the first place. Her glance up at Seto and meeting his cold stare didn't help matters, either. Although, what she didn't realize was that the stare came from him watching Jou rubbing her shoulder in a reassuring way. It pissed him off. _My puppy is way too nice._

"Okay! Okay! I felt dizzy and silly and…I dunno…I kept giggling and then…" She saw Seto's eyes narrowing at her impatiently. "Okay, the colors of everything around me…had…" She glared back at him. "Don't laugh when I say it." Seto frowned at her. Anzu sighed and said, "The colors around me had…a …sound."

Jounouchi's mouth opened a little in shock and his eyes shot to Seto who nodded back understandingly.

"Anzu," Jou said with concern, "Did you get that way from just _holding_ the card? Or did you do something to it? Maybe…I dunno…_lick it_."

"Lick a Duel Monsters card?" She stared back at him incredulously. "How sick is that?" The girl folded her arms against her bosom and made a face at him.

"She rubbed the center of the card," Yugi said back. "The ink came off and we were thinking about the poor quality of the ink." He shuffled his feet awkwardly. "Her strange behavior started after that."

"Seto," Jounouchi said with growing concern, "when Namiko showed you that fake card, how was she holding it?"

Seto gave him another nod. "That was my thought exactly. And, now, we know."

He turned to the three of them. "My researchers have discovered that the fake Duel Monsters card had been made with a hallucinogen called 'Ketamine.' The street name for it in Domino is called…"

"Honey oil," Jounouchi finished for him.

Seto raised an eyebrow and Jounouchi looked away at the horizon. "Don't ask," Jou said to them with a tone that said he'd meant it.

"Okay," Seto said, "for those of you who don't know, Ketamine is a drug that is used in anesthesia and veterinary medicine. So, most of the Ketamine on the streets comes from vet offices that have been broken into. It comes in both a liquid and a powder form." Seto put his hands in his pockets and took a few casual steps toward Jounouchi, who was still looking away with an almost haunted expression on his face. "Those on it may experience 'hearing' a 'color' and other effects such as feeling sensations that are not real, having nightmarish 'trips' and permanent memory loss as well as panic attacks."

Yugi took Anzu's hand with a little worry.

"She didn't hold the card for long," Seto said, blue eyes looking at Anzu, "so, she should be fine. But, it appears that the colorful ink on the fake cards have been made with powdered Ketamine."

"So, the yakuza are smuggling drugs with these cards," Yugi said. "It's a good cover. I'd never think of smuggling it like that."

"Well, they've added a chemical to it so that the drug can be easily absorbed through the skin through touch," Seto said. "Only the black edge of the card is safe to hold. That's why Namiko showed me the card without feeling the effects."

"She knows better than to get herself high," Anzu said evenly. "As an assassin, she'd be vulnerable if she were out of it."

Seto nodded again.

"But, this doesn't sound like something some run of the mill yakuza could do," Jounouchi said, finally joining in on the conversation.

"True," Seto agreed, feeling somewhat better that Jou decided to start talking again, "but that's where Namiko's previous boss comes in."

"Seeker," Yugi said.

"The same," Seto acknowledged. "If he was smart enough to break into the Kaiba Corp computers, bypass all of our security, and enter himself into one of my tournaments…well, he was smart enough to do this."

"What makes you say that?" Anzu said.

"One of my people did a background check on Seeker. He graduated from Tokyo University with dual degrees in chemistry and computer science. He knew enough to make these cards."

"So, now we've got to locate them!" Anzu said. "Because we can't just let people play with these."

"Agreed," Seto said and then smirked when he added, "I did call Pegasus on his private line to let him know of this situation."

All three stared back at him.

The smirk became a grin. "I've never heard Mr. Fancy Pants stutter before. He's furious."

Jounouchi broke into a smile about that. And Seto stood next to him, shoulder to shoulder with blue eyes looking down into hazel ones.

"Now, for the other order of business," Seto said and watched all of the humor leave his puppy's eyes.

"More bad news?" the blond said.

"You want the truth, don't you?" He shrugged.

"Yeah," Jou sighed.

"I thought I'd let the three of you know that I received a letter from Namiko yesterday. She left it in the office here at school."

"What…What did it say?" Yugi asked. Though, he could easily guess what she wanted.

"Wait…Seto?" Jou said, looking mad now. "If you got this yesterday, why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted everyone to know at the same time." A part of Seto felt it wasn't the whole truth. And, he could see from Jou's expression that he wasn't buying it, either. But, that didn't matter.

"Do you want to know what it said?" he asked the blond.

"No more lying by omission," Jou growled, looking up at him with a scowl on his face. Then, he made a frustrated sigh, releasing clinched fists one finger at a time—though, starting with the middle one because he was still pissed. "The good and the bad," he said in a softer tone, "so, remember that." Hazel eyes and blue ones locked.

Seto huffed at him in response. Jou took that to be a "yes."

"The letter said 'five days from now, roof, Bank of Japan near the waterfront' and nothing more. That was all."

"And you are sure it came from Namiko and not the yakuza? They've still got Honda!" Anzu started wringing her hands at the thought of their friend.

Seto scowled in her direction. "Well, if the yakuza are sending letters on pink, perfumed paper with a message in a girly font, then it must be them." His sarcastic tone got him a scowl from everyone present.

"Well, you didn't have to say it like that," Anzu pouted. "I didn't know."

"None of us did," Yugi said to her reassuringly.

"Yeah," Jou said sharply, "none of us."

Seto's eyes narrowed. "Do not make me sorry that I mentioned this to any of you at all. I've got my own people. I could handle all of this by myself."

"I don't think so!" Jou said back heatedly, his hands balled up into fists again. "I deserve the right to know. Of everyone here, I think I have the most to lose. Don't you think?"

"Well," Seto countered, "I don't think your friend Honda is doing so well at the moment. Do you? Maybe, instead of being so _selfish_, you'd notice that he's got the most to lose."

"And you think I don't know that?" Jou fumed.

"Fighting is not going to help," Yugi said wisely. "We need to come up with a plan."

Jounouchi nodded, folded his arms, and turned his back to Seto a little. He said to the group, "Yugi's right. Arguing is stupid at this point." He took a few steps toward Yugi and Anzu. "I'm sorry for yelling." He shot a look over his shoulder at Seto. "That goes for you, too, because you've got a point. We have more than one problem and more than one enemy."

"At least, you're seeing reason," Seto said tartly.

"I always see reason," the blond frowned. Then, he turned directly to Seto, his back to his friends. "And, do you know what I think? I think you're pissing me off for a reason."

"Do I really need one?"

"You would if you were trying to protect me."

Seto feigned ignorance at his words by lifting a delicate eyebrow. And a smile tugged at the corners of Jou's mouth. _I'm starting to understand you better. And I'm glad. _He forced himself to speak with more confidence. He would need to if he was going to get through the next few minutes. "Everyone, we've got to do something and soon." In that moment, Jounouchi decided to let go of his anger toward Seto. Both of them felt annoyed. And both felt justified for their reactions.

Once again, Jou decided to be the reasonable one in the relationship.

"We've got to do something and…well… There's no choice anymore, Seto," the blond said calmly, placing a hand on his better half's arm—even though Jou really wanted to take Seto's hand in his. Even now, he was just too shy. "We're going to have to turn me over to Namiko."

"No!" Seto shouted practically in his face.

The anger was so hot and so quick that Yugi found himself with his arm around Anzu to comfort her. They both gaped.

"You'll die!" His blue eyes were fire and ice.

"Maybe."

"I won't part with you!"

"You'll have to."

* * *


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"That's it! We're going."

"Eh?" Jounouchi said, looking totally shocked as Seto grabbed his hand and pulled him along behind. "Uh, see you guys later," he called back to Yugi and Anzu. Jounouchi tripped, but found himself still stumbling behind. Seto opened the door to the lower level and tugged Jou down the stairs and into the building.

Anzu and Yugi could hear the angry "Seto" footfalls with the clumsy and out of sinc "Jounouchi" footsteps lumbering on behind. Their voices carried, too.

"Seto! Hey, Seto? You're holding my hand." Pause. "We're in _school_ and you're holding my _hand_, Seto." The voice was a harsh whisper.

"Puppy, you don't listen very well, do you?"

"Grrr…. What are you talking about? Okay, fine! Kiss my ass, Seto!"

"I already did."

Yugi and Anzu sweatdropped. There was another awkward pause.

"Seto, _WE'RE IN SCHOOL_!"

"Keep your voice down, idiot!"

"Humph…Well…you didn't have to say it like that…"

Seto and Jounouchi were now in the main hall of Domino High. The blond's hand was still in Seto's. And, for good reason in his opinion, paranoia was starting to rise in Jou's heart. His school wasn't exactly supportive of same sex couples and Jou could easily see himself getting beaten up after gym class. Plus, there would be problems for Seto as well. Jou shuddered at the thought.

Luckily, everyone was in class, but Jou worried that some straggler would be in the hall to see them—a student, a teacher, the janitor, etc. But, luckily, all was quiet. He listened for Yugi and Anzu to follow, but heard nothing from behind. Suddenly, Jou felt his hand yanking forward. _Oh, that's right. Seto still has a firm grip on me._

"This way, Mutt."

"Look, I know you're mad at me and all…"

They suddenly stopped and fierce blue eyes narrowed down at him.

"Shut…the hell…up."

They left out the side door. The heavy metal door shut with a loud bang behind them and Seto's grip got tighter.

"Where are we going?" Jou asked, clueless.

"Shut up."

"I was only asking…"

They walked past the east lawn which was, at that moment, being watered by the automatic sprinkler system. Little jets of water shot up from the grass.

Seto stopped, turned, and let go of Jou's hand. With seconds, Jounouchi found himself being shoved bodily onto the lawn—sitting on his butt, blond hair getting drenched.

"Wha-? What? Hey, Seto!" The wet hair was sticking to Jounouchi's head.

"What, Mutt? Didn't I tell you to 'shut up'?" Seto stood there with arms folded and his trademark smirk. "Good dogs should listen to their owners."

Jounouchi flipped wet hair out of his face. The water was cold—really cold. But he wasn't giving Seto the satisfaction of winning this. Closing his hazel eyes to keep the water out, Jou stretched out on his back, letting the water get to him. He could feel wet blades of grass pushing against him, too, as a soft cushion.

"I'm not your dog. You're not my master. Nobody owns me. And stop calling me 'Mutt.'"

"Or else?" Seto was still furious with Jou and pushing the envelope felt good.

"Or else…I'll sleep over at my father's tonight."

Seto narrowed his blue eyes. He reached in and grabbed Jounouchi by the wrist—getting his own chestnut hair sprayed by a fine mist in the process.

"Out of there," he growled under his breath. Roughly, he pulled Jounouchi up to his feet.

"You're the one who pushed me in," Jou complained, feeling the wind blowing against him now. It was ice cold thanks to the water. He yanked his wrist out of Seto's grip.

"You're not going back there. It's not safe."

Jounouchi wrung some of the water out of his hair and said, "This isn't how you treat someone you love. Never do it again."

"I could say the same for you…concerning Namiko."

Jounouchi stared back angrily. "This," he said pointing to his hair and clothes, "wasn't done by Namiko. It was done by you."

"Well, you needed to cool off because you're not thinking rationally," Seto said back, gaining his composure again. "You just made that decision all by yourself. Handing you over to her is the last thing I'm going to do."

"Look, Seto," Jou began.

"No, you 'look.' After all, you're the one who is always preaching that we are a team. We are a couple. We do everything together. And I quote, "You're not alone anymore, Seto.'"

"Oh, I do not sound like that! It was a terrible impersonation of me."

"Not my point."

_I know… I know what your point is…_ The blond looked down at the ground. "Sorry," he mumbled back, "and maybe I'm no better than Anzu's 'friendship is everything" speeches when it comes to us being "a couple.' So, I can see where you're coming from."

"Well," Seto said, still feeling mad, "we need to get you back home and into some dry clothes."

Jounouchi shivered a bit but gave a nod. They'd skip school for the rest of the day. Seto took him by the wrist, because he was still fuming, and led the way off the school grounds, across the street, and outside the bistro. His phone was out and he dialed a number.

"This is Kaiba Seto. I need a taxi…" he said into the phone.

"Seto?" Jou said to him while repressing shiver, "Ummm…why don't we get one of your 'guys in black' to just give us a ride to your place?"

Seto covered the phone with his hand, "Which would give away their positions." He rolled his eyes.

"Then, call your chauffeur."

"I don't have him waiting all day," Seto muttered back. "He has certain times that he's needed."

"Oh," Jou said and trembled openly. He wrapped his arms around himself and leaned against the brick building for support.

Seto spoke a little more over the phone. Then, he closed it and pocketed it. "Wait here," he ordered and disappeared into the store. A few moments later, Seto returned with a large cup of coffee. "Drink this," he said grumpily.

With more than a little gratitude, Jounouchi took the steaming cup in both hands and fought against tight arm muscles, begging to shake, to put the cup to his lips. He cup felt burning hot in his hands, too, but it didn't matter. It was something warm.

Deep down, Seto was starting to feel a little concerned. He'd gone too far again. And it bothered him to see Jounouchi like this, but he had wanted to get his point across.

"Jou?" Seto said while watching the blond out of the corner of his eye, "Never do that again."

"Yeah…yeah." He took another sip. "I'll consult you before designing a plan to get Namiko…" He shook hard. "…O-Out into the open so that your people can grab her." He had hoped that the sarcasm wasn't wasted. Jou flashed an angry look back into his drink before taking another sip. He took a shaky breath as well.

"I suppose… you may have a point there, but…that wasn't what I was talking about." Seto folded his arms and looked away—telling himself that he was just keeping an eye out for the taxi.

"What then?" the blond said irritably. He wasn't in the mood for a mystery.

"Threaten to go back to your father's house instead of _our house_…just because you're mad."

Jounouchi looked at Seto and held the cup of coffee to his chest to keep warm. The ghost of a smile played on his lips. "I promise…but only for as long as you treat me…ya know…like I'm a person." He curled his shoulders in when the wind blew against him. "I can remember Dad getting kind of rough with Mom sometimes—the way he'd talk to her. He grabbed her arm once. She'd take it…for awhile. But I don't want to live like that." He looked at Seto. "I'm not accusing you of anything like that. But this is where I come from…if you think I'm overreacing and stuff... I just don't want to be treated like this," he ran his fingers through his wet hair, "ever again _because you were mad_. That's all."

"Even to protect you?" Seto asked sharply.

"Yeah…even to protect me."

Seto stared darkly into the sky. Some part of him wanted to beat his fist into the brick wall in frustration. And some part of him wanted to hold a very wet, unhappy puppy against his chest.

A yellow taxi drove up.

"Come on," Seto said, putting a hand on Jou's drenched shoulder and guiding him forward. He noticed that Jou accepted the touch without a grimace or flash of anger. He felt better about that.

"Hey, did somebody just get outta the pool?" the driver laughed, looking in the rearview mirror.

"To the Kaiba mansion. I'll give you the directions," Seto said tiredly. He hated chatty cabbies and he wanted this ride overwith as soon as possible.

"Don't bother. I know the way," the driver chirped and turned the car around.

"J-Just curious," Jounouchi said with chattering teeth, "how would you know? Then again, it is the biggest home in Domino."

The cabbie glanced into the back seat briefly. "Oh, from time to time, there's a group of high school girls who pay me to just drive by the place. We never stop, of course. But a few will take pictures with their cell phones."

Jounouchi shook his head sadly at that and wrapped his arms around himself tighter. "Stupid," he heard Seto say next to him.

"Oh, no. I can think of dumber things than that," Jou said, taking another swig of coffee and wishing that he could just pour the whole thing on himself to keep warm.

Seto glared. _He's talking about being soaking wet again._

Jou glanced at him again. _What's his problem now? Sheesh._

Once inside, Jou kicked his shoes off at the door.

"You need new shoes, Puppy," Seto said testily, "and a lot of other clothes. We'll go shopping this weekend."

"I d-dunno," Jou shivered back. _Since when did the mansion feel like a deep freeze?_ "I don't get my check until next week and I've got to work a twelve hour shift on Saturday. Do you know that your 'people' order the exact same double cream ice coffee each time they come to watch me? What are they? Clones?"

"You need to go shopping, Jou. And I'll pay. Actually, I intended to all along."

"Oh." Jou shivered again and felt Seto take him by the hand—leading him upstairs.

"Of course, I'm picking out your clothes again."

"I have good taste. I can pick out my own clothes," Jou mumbled.

_Is he kidding me? He'll buy cartoon clothes if I let him!_ Seto eyed Jou. "Trust me?" he asked. _Yes, that will get him to agree._

"Yeah," Jou said sheepishly. They were at the bedroom door now. Seto opened it.

The maids had been in the room and had tidied up. The bed's sheets were changed, the room vacuumed, and dusted.

Seto opened the bathroom door and said, "Take a shower to warm up. You'll catch cold if you stay like this."

The blond took two steps into the bathroom, put his coffee on the vanity, and tried to strip off the wet clothes. He shivered uncontrolably. For the life of him, Jou didn't have the strength to take the heavy clothes off. Jou decided to try with the blue jacket, but was having a hard time with the buttons from his freezing, numb fingers.

"This is taking too long," Seto complained. He stepped into the bathroom, nimbly unbuttoned the jacket and dropped the heavy, wet garment to the floor. Next came the white shirt.

"Freezing!" Jou said, curling up to keep warm.

"Stand up straight," Seto complained. He'd unbuttoned and unzipped the trousers—having them fall to the floor with a slight "sploosh."

"Take that off," Seto ordered, referring to Jou's blue Y-fronts, turned his back on the blond, and opened the glass shower door. Seto turned the water up to a tepid setting and waiting for it to heat up.

"Hot water," Jounouchi chattered.

"Warm," Seto countered.

"I'm freezing!" the blond wailed.

"Warm's what you're getting," Seto said, turning back. Fighting the urge not to look up and down at his handsome, but freezing, better half, Seto guided him into the shower. Then, he pushed the blond forward with a slight shove.

"Oh! That feels great!" Jou moaned as the water rushed over him. "Thanks for turning it up to hot."

"It isn't," Seto said while gathering up the wet clothes. "Your body is so cold that it only feels hot to you."

"Oh," Jounouchi said and leaned forward to let the spray wash over him. "I guess, you're right…but still…"

"You're welcome," Seto said with an edge as he started to walk away.

"Seto?"

"Yes?" he said tiredly.

"I'm sorry, but if handing me over to Namiko is the only way to end this…why can't we?"

Seto looked down at the dripping clothes in his hands. "Because you're asking me to destroy my own…" He took a deep breath. Yes, he could admit this. "…My own…happiness…if your plan should fail." He stepped out of the bathroom.

"Seto?" The blond called to him.

"Yes?" he sighed back.

"I love you, too."

* * *

"And your name is?" said one of the yakuza. 

"I already told you a million times." He wanted to throw his hands into the air in exasperation. Were these guys stupid or what? "My name is Honda Hiroto. My birthday is April 19. And I've got a dog named Blankey." He crossed his arms defensively. "And that's all I'm telling you."

"Midorigawa? Boss?" A voice said from behind.

"Yeah, you asshole, whadda want now?"

"I don't see why we keep holding this guy. What good is he?"

"Well, it was something he said when we first got him here. So, I wanna know." He pulled out a switchblade and held it under Honda's chin.

Honda, who was currently being the _guest_ of four yakuza in a warehouse that he previously didn't even know existed, was bound to a chair with rope. The only reason why they let him up at all was because Honda had convinced them that it would be a good idea to let him use the toilet instead of leaving numerous puddles on the floor—which would stink. And, for some reason, he noticed the main guy, Midorigawa, having issues with smells and germs. In fact, the man hated the warehouse but for some reason that Honda couldn't understand, they were still there—along with boxes and boxes of Duel Monsters cards.

"So, tell me about your family," Midorigawa said harshly. He wanted to know if Honda's family was worth blackmailing to get the teen back. There was no point in keeping Honda alive if he wasn't worth anything.

"I can't. And they're not important anyway." _Yeah, like I'm going to tell you more about them. I won't get them in danger, you jerk!_

"What about your father?" Midorigawa persisted. He noticed that the other two yakuza were laughing at him a little. The other…two? He wondered where Taka was.

The boss noticed Honda's eyes bugging out a little at that question. _Hmmm…let's try another question. _"Is your father at home right now? I'll just send a message."

"He's not," Honda mumbled. "He went to meet some people…at a shrine…he was once in…" _Oh, I'm not sure if yakuza and the Japanese military get along. Oh, no… Would that put Dad in danger? What about me?_ Honda thought a little more about it. "He was in…an _organization_…but he retired."

"Organization?" Midorigawa said back, blinking owlishly. He turned to the others and said quietly, "Does he mean that his father is one of us?" The men shrugged back. "I'm not starting a war just over some kid." He pointed to the man on the right. "Find out how many 'Hondas' have retired recently."

"Do you know how common that name is?" the other sputtered back.

"Well, find out anyway before we get our asses kicked hard. And there aren't that many who live long enough or have connections good enough to retire. So, do it!"

"Yes, boss!" The man walked away briskly. He had some contacts and a lot of phone calls to make all of a sudden.

Going back to Honda, he said, "Was your father…a leader…in this organization?"

He didn't want to answer that one and Midorigawa could tell. "You weren't supposed to answer that one, huh? I bet your old man told you to do that." _He really could be the son of one of us._

"Are you in that same…organization?"

Honda shook his head. "Dad says that I'm too young and that I don't have the…guts… for it." _Okay, that last part is true but embarrassing. Sure…I suck when it comes to athletics._

The yakuza looked Honda up and down. "I agree. You are an embarrassment to your family name, Mr. Skinny."

"Hey, wait!" Honda shot back. "That's not fair!"

_Yup, he's gotta be one of_ _us_, Midorigawa thought, _and that's a bit of a problem. We'll just keep him alive until we can decide what to do with him…or where to dispose of the body._

* * *

A little girl in a bright yellow hat came walking up to the Kaiba mansion with a huge, red sucker in her mouth. She pushed the button and, after a minute, Mokuba's voice came over the intercom. 

"Hey, little girl!" he said.

"How do you know I'm a girl?" She looked left and right—not seeing anybody.

"We've got video cameras all over the place," Mokuba said with a smile in his voice. "What can I do for you?"

"I have a letter for you!" she said. She waved the white envelope up.

"Okay, just give me a minute."

The raven haired Mokuba walked from the front door to the gate. He saw one of Seto's men leaning casually against a tree on the property, but he was very well aware of what was going on. And Mokuba knew by now how to go with the flow.

Mokuba opened the gate and smiled at her.

"Thank you for the letter," he said.

"You're welcome! Bye!" She giggled and waved behind her. She pulled the red sucker out of her mouth and then crammed it back in again. _That was easy and fun!_

Closing the door behind him, Mokuba said, "Nii-sama?" His voice echoed. But, there was no Seto. He was tempted to go directly to his brother's room to start a search, but decided against it. Since, Jounouchi had come to stay---and eventually live---with them, he wanted to give them as much privacy as possible.

Mokuba went to the intercom. "Nii-sama? Where are you?" he called.

A few seconds passed.

"Mokuba?" Seto said back in an even tone. "I'm in my study."

"I'll meet you there," the child said.

Mokuba walked down the hallway and noticed Jounouchi, wearing a green shirt and blue jeans, following behind with a slight smirk on his face. Jounouchi's hair was still wet in places. Mokuba wondered if Seto's hair would be wet as well. He smiled a little on the inside. As much as Mokuba wanted to tease Jou about that possibility, he decided against it.

"Nii-sama? A little girl just came with this letter for you."

Seto raised an eyebrow at that.

_Oh, his hair is dry,_ Mokuba noted with a slight pout.

"Gee, Seto, you've got fangirls of all ages," Jou said with a laugh as he entered the study.

Mokuba handed the letter over and Seto examined it. His face fell a little—which bothered the other two.

"Mokuba? Could you give me a little privacy?"

"Bad news?" the raven haired child asked. He blinked at him.

"Privacy," Seto repeated.

The child nodded with a little confusion on his face and left.

Jou started to leave, too.

"Wait," Seto said, ripped open the envelope and opened the letter. He offered it to Jonouchi without looking in his eyes.

The pink note simply said "8 PM."

"Seto," Jounouchi breathed, looking down at the paper. He felt sick inside. It was all going to happen and nothing could stop it. Either they would meet her there, or she would hound them until she found an opportunity.

From behind, strong arms wrapped themselves around Jounouchi's waist.

"The good and the bad, you said," Seto murmured. He rested his chin on Jounouchi's shoulder.

"Yeah…we'll face it…together," the blond said quietly.

"Don't make me regret this." Chestnut hair ticked Jou's face, arms tightened.

"Then, trust me. No matter how it ends, trust me."

"I already do."

* * *


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Namiko couldn't believe that she'd followed Taka to a _new_ restaurant. It was a wonder that he had managed to figure out that there was more than one restaurant in all of Japan. Unfortunately, he picked a theme restaurant. And the theme totally disgusted her—which was strange because she had told herself that there was no way she could be revolted by anything.

The Vampire Café had a cheesy red and black décor that raised her eyebrows the moment she entered with her black purse and a shoulder bag. It was aesthetically displeasing. Yes, that was it--revolting. However, "revolting" took on a whole new dimension when she saw a waitress putting down three glasses of what appeared to be a transparent liquid with little pieces of pinkish "somethings" floating inside on a table in front of three rough looking customers. Namiko quickly recognized the customers as yakuza—the same ones she'd worked with before. Taka had joined them. He wasn't seated. Instead, he was leaning on the table with a hand on his hip, looking incredibly self-confident. His deep voice floated, sounding bossy.

Namiko grinned to herself. She put her purse on the table, turned it to the side, grabbed the small digital camera, and started taking pictures. Being discrete wasn't very hard. IN fact, this would be easy.

The waitress, dressed in a kind of "vampire kitty" outfit complete with a black tail with a pink ribbon tied to it that peeked out from under her miniskirt, came to the table. "Is there anything I can get for you" she mumbled with a mouth full of fake vampire teeth.

Namiko cocked her head at her. "Yes, what are they drinking? It looks so…interesting," she said and did a splendid acting job, if she did say so herself, of appearing to want a sip of the drink.

"Oh…that's one of our specialties. It's called deer penis sake."

"I'm sorry. What?"

"Well, we take sake—the very best, of course, and put in three small chunks of deer penis..."

"Oh, I see…" Namiko felt her stomach churning a little. Then, she thought about it. The concoction would be a great way to "persuade" someone to work with her. Namiko hated the word "torture." It was too crude. And she could probably buy the sake and the deer member at one of the local markets.

Used to the reaction, the waitress continued with "We have lizard sake, too," she said happily. "It's really exotic. We get the frozen lizard to stand up inside the glass and lean on the rim casually."

"Water. I'll have water and a menu." 

The waitress nodded and left.

Namiko turned her camera at the yakuza table and resumed taking pictures. There were three men. She was wondering where Taka was. _He was just there a second ago before that stupid waitress came by._ Namiko snapped a few more pictures with the flash off. She could touch up the pictures and lighten them later. The "battery low" light flashed on and she cursed herself for not thinking of charging it up.

"Hello," a voice said from behind her. Namiko rolled her eyes. She knew who it was.

"Oi, guys?" he motioned to the other table, "I'll join you in a bit."

The yakuza at the other table saw Taka sit down. They made crude gestures and grumblings from their table, laughing among themselves and taking swigs of the deer-infused drinks to improve their virility.

"So, what's with the camera?" Taka said, a dark glint had entered his eyes. Even in the low light, Namiko could see it. She guessed that Taka was trying to intimidate her now that her actions were obvious. If he had been a wiser man, he would have known that he was the one in peril. That thought made her happy.

"I guess, you caught me," she said sweetly. It was followed by a shrug.

"So, are you with the police? The press? Or are you working for somebody…else?"

"Let's just say that I'm choosing option number three," she said. _I'm a freelancer_, she thought, _but I'm not going to tell you that_. She winked at him. "But, if you'd been a smart little boy, you would have figured out that my rep as 'the molester' would have been enough to stay away from me." She put one delicate fingernail against his cheek. He caught her hand roughly before she could do any damage. She frowned at that.

"So, what am I going to do with you?" His eyes drifted over to his cohorts. "I could have them join us and then tell them everything."

"You'll probably do that anyway. In fact, I want you to."

"Oh, how so?" In the beginning, Taka had guessed that she was bluffing. But something about her now said differently.

"I've come to make a deal."

"Really?" Taka didn't sound amused. He was leaning in towards her, feeling annoyed.

"I suppose I'll have to cut to the chase." She smiled and batted her eyelashes a little. "I want twenty percent of the take on the drugged out Duel Monsters cards."

"Shush! Don't say that so loud!" Taka hissed.

"Well, you're the one with the loud mouth," she said. "Then again, back in the hotel room, you were really loud." She giggled. "Who knew you were a screamer." She shrugged. Then, her face grew serious. "I said twenty percent. I'm not greedy. I just want to have a little slice of the pie you have. But, _if you refuse_…"

"If _we refuse_," he said, tossing his head in the direction of the three yakuza.

"That would be bad for you," she smiled again. "As I see it, you have two big problems. First, I have enough video on you and your—"friends"—to show that you're using the name of the Voice of the East Gang for your own profit. Technically speaking, that little gang was disbanded a long, long time ago. But, there are still some—"people"—who belong to that kind of "group" in an _unofficial_ way. You know what I mean?"

Taka's eyes widened.

"If they were to find out that four low level yakuza, such as yourselves, were using their name and reputation to get what they wanted…well…" She shrugged. "Second, wouldn't calling yourselves by a rival yakuza's name show disloyalty to your original gang? What if your big boss found out?" She made a pouty face. "Oh, poor Taka…poor baby…bad boogie monsters might come after you in the night." Then, her face grew cruel. "And I know how to find them."

"You wouldn't," he hissed back.

"If I get a cut of the profit, then I won't. Screw with me in the figurative sense, and I'll make you suffer…then die." Her eyes glowed at the thought. "Then again, I just might do it anyway. Tracking you down has been pretty easy."

Taka's face showed panic. She almost felt sorry for him—almost.

"And just to show you that I'm sincere…" Namiko pulled out a large manilla envelope from the oversized shoulder bag. The padded envelope had a thumb drive, computer disks, and photos of the times that she'd met with them. There were big photos, too. Taka slid out a large 8X10 of himself with Namiko in the hotel room. His jaw dropped.

"Oh, I just love that picture," she sighed. "You know, with the sheet sliding off, it shows your best side…and that lovely…original…_tattoo_ on your back."

He paled at that.

"…The shark…"

In the dim light, Namiko stared at him with large, black pupils. And her teeth looked particularly white.

* * *

The Bank of Japan building was built in a neo-baroque architectural style with stone pillars supporting it out front. At night, with the bank building located next to the waterfront, it had an imposing, almost haunted aura. Lights from the lawn pushed up the shadows to the levels above. The sound of the water, and the darkness that it held, felt imposing.

Not surprisingly, one of the doors had been left unlocked. Seto's people had warned them against using the elevator—a tight, cramped space that would be difficult to escape from should Namiko be technically savvy. Instead, they were to take the stairs to the roof. 

Seto insisted on going up first. He'd already had one of his helicopters in place, ready to go at a moment's notice, should anything go wrong. He had other people stationed on two of the buildings on either side of the bank building as lookouts. Outside the bank building, three men in black were waiting inside vans and parked cars—including his most trusted Kageyama Kiyoko who had her nigh vision goggles on.

Seto, dressed in black leather pants and a blue coat with his locket of Mokuba around his neck, pushed the door open and walked arrogantly into the cool evening air. Even though he was uncomfortable with the situation, he walked out onto the rooftop as though he owned the place. Years ago, he had trained himself to do that when he was uncomfortable. Strangely, this action almost always inspired confidence in his subordinates. And, on the way up the stairs, he noticed that the trio who followed him seemed the better for it.

On the rooftop, there was the unpleasant smell of dead fish and sea salt in the air. He hated it and started thinking of the shower he'd take once this was all over with. Next, came Yugi and Anzu. Yugi didn't want her to come, but she insisted. She felt that with more people there, it would be possible to get help to arrive more quickly. Anzu had her cell phone in her pocket with Seto's people as well as the police on speed dial. Seto had them positioned on the right and left sides of the door.

The metal door opened one last time. Seto found himself feeling unhappy at the thought that his puppy was in danger. This was not what he wanted to happen at all. It made him sick to think about Namiko.

The door opened slowly.

_He's nervous,_ Seto thought. _And, frankly, so am I. But, he's right, we need to get this over with. I'm just glad Mokuba isn't here._

The door closed awkwardly and then it opened again. A raggedy, black sneaker stuck its way through.

"Jounouchi," Seto said to himself unhappily.

The door flew open. Jounouchi was tossed unceremoniously onto his face. In a flash, Anzu and Yugi were kicked back and fell to the ground, senseless.

"Well, you're partially correct, Kaiba-sama," Namiko teased. She ran to Jounouchi, kneeled next to him, and then pulled his blond hair back to expose his soft, white neck and pressed a dagger to his throat. "It's so good to see you again." Her eyes were on Seto but her hand was pressing harder against Jou's throat.

_Hell! How did she do that?_ Suddenly, Seto's heart was beating hard. "I'm willing to listen to your demands," he said angrily. Letting Jou anywhere near Namiko had not been a part of the plan at all. Namiko must have caught up to Jou on the stairs. Jou's face looked red on the left cheek, as though he'd been punched. His shirt had bloodied, small slash marks, too. She must have been "persuasive" on their way up the stairs.

Seto tightened his hands into fists.

"Demands?" Namiko said in a teasing voice and then pressed her lips to Jounouchi's temple. "No, I never really had any, _lover_."

She could feel Jounouchi tense up at the word "lover." It was fun. Angry hazel eyes turned to her. She could see fear there, too. But, the hazy anger made her happy. Then, he jerked his head and tried to pull away. Namiko had a fist of his hair firmly in her grasp. She wasn't going to let him move. Down the side of his throat, a single pearl of blood began to leave a red stripe down.

She whispered on Jou's ear, "He's great in bed, huh?"

He cringed at the thought of his Seto joined with Namiko.

"So, did you tell him?" Namiko asked, tilting her head up to glance at Seto.

"Tell him…what?" the CEO barked back.

"Don't be foolish." Namiko smiled. "I'm sure that your boy toy would just love to know what was in the pictures I sent to you at school." She smiled toothily at him. Then, she leaned down into Jounouchi's ear again. "He did tell you, huh? He did _trust_ you enough to say what it was, right?"

Jounouchi didn't have an answer for her. Yes! Win! Her toothy grin in Seto's direction showed victory. 

Seto folded his arms and shook his head "no."

"It doesn't matter, Namiko. I don't care," Jou said back between gritted teeth. The position that she had him in really started to hurt.

"Of course you do," She said and nuzzled his face with her own. Jou cringed at that. She licked the curve of his ear and there was nothing Seto could do about it.

"The pictures…my dearest…were of you."

Hazel eyes locked with blue ones. Jou's jaw dropped. "What kind of pictures?" he asked in a hollow voice. "No, wait…look," he began. "If you're trying to blackmail me or Seto about us—to the media—I'm not ashamed of being with him."

Seto felt proud about that but tried to hide it.

"It's just that my life is so…complicated…that I just wanted a few months of peace. After graduation, when the pressure is off, I don't mind." He thought about it a little more. "But I can't stop you. So, go ahead and release the photos to the media."

Namiko took the blade and slashed Jounouchi's righ shoulder. He screamed, trying to pull his head away. Blond hair made a ripping sound when he struggled. Jou reached a hand to the fresh wound. He just couldn't help himself.

"You guessed wrong," Namiko said and watched his bleeding arm with satisfaction.

Seto almost went for her at that point, but she moved the knife back to Jounouchi's throat.

"You know," she said in a cutesy voice, "I gave you a chance to tell the truth to Katsuya-kun here." She grinned darkly. "But you didn't. Don't you trust him? Don't you love him…enough?"

"I'm not discussing Jounouchi with you."

"Afraid?" She cocked her head sweetly to one side.

He narrowed his eyes. If he could just put his fingers around her throat...

Dark eyes flicked back in his direction. "Speaking of 'afriad,' I want you to tell that sharpshooter on the annex building—she motioned with her head to the right—to leave and go back into the parking lot with the rest of your lackeys. I'll give you three seconds to do it before he suffers." Namiko bit Jou's earlobe. He cringed openly.

Seto pulled out his cell phone and watched Namiko with the dagger. He pushed and held down the number three button. "She knows. So, move back down to the parking lot." Seto flipped the phone shut.

"Good boy," Namiko said. "You always did take direction well…even in bed."

Jounouchi narrowed his eyes at that toward the ground.

"He's so jealous," Namiko giggled.

For a second Seto felt guilty. But, at the time he was with Namiko, he wasn't a couple with Jou—some part of him wanted to be, but he just couldn't reach out to the blond. Instead, there was Namiko. And it wasn't possible to cheat on Jounouchi before he'd ever fallen in love with him. For a few seconds, he wondered of Jou saw it that way, too. He worried.

Namiko moved the dagger to Jounouchi's earlobe, pink with tooth marks, and scratched it—leaving a diagonal cut.

The blond jerked back again, crying out.

"Poor baby," Namiko said mockingly, "that one's going to leave a scar."

Seto was staring murderously, hands balled up and fingernails biting into his palms.

"Okay, Katsuya-kun, here's the deal. I decided to let your lover know…"

"My soul mate," Jou corrected between clinched teeth. "Not a boyfriend, not a lover… He's my soul mate." Hazel eyes looked into blue ones when he said it even though Jounouchi couldn't stop his body from trembling. He felt tears in his eyes, too.

Namiko smiled at that. "Well, I gave your 'soul mate' a chance to tell you the truth. He didn't…which shows just how much he trusts you. But, you were never really his equal in the first place. So, I'm not surprised." She licked some of the blood off of Jou's earlobe. Her tongue had a red spot now. 

"If he didn't tell, he had his reasons," Jou said, but could feel the dagger return to his throat.

"Did he?" Namiko whispered seductively in his ear. Just a few months ago, if she said those words in his ear, it would have been a huge turn on for him. Now, it just felt sick and wrong.

"You think I'm a monster?" Namiko laughed at Jou. "Well, how would you feel if I told you that you've been sleeping with one."

Jou took a shaky breath. "Seto's been called worse." 

Namiko leaned down and spoke into Jou's ear quietly. "It's bad…" She nuzzled the side of Jounouchi's face. "He did something really bad, Katsuya-kun. And I know what it is."

"Worse than you?" Jounouchi shot back and then felt afraid. Was he stupid or just angry for doing that? Probably both.

"No," she purred back. "Not worse…but it makes him more like me than like you." She pressed her face against his neck. He could feel her tongue licking at the blond hairs there. Her dark eyes glanced up. Seto was furious. Eyes of blue fire and ice.

"So, if you hate me, then you have to hate your 'soul mate' for doing the same thing."

"And just what would that me?" Jou said forcefully when she pulled out some of his hairs with her teeth. "That hurts!" he growled and would have looked back had she not pulled his blond head back by his hair.

"Killing your own father."

* * *


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

The wind had an edge to it. He was feeling cold and the drying blood was getting tacky against his skin. "You've gotta be kidding me," Jounouchi said to Namiko, but his eyes were locked on Seto. "I know how Gozaburo died. The man scanned his brain into the Kaiba Corp computer banks and, then, later committed suicide."

"That's the official story. Right, Kaiba-sama?" Namiko purred. She wanted to see a flicker of fear in Seto's eyes. She only got back seething anger. _At least, that's something._

She licked her dry lips.

Jou took a shaky breath. "Look, that dirt bag even tried to take over Seto's body in the virtual world. So, it's not his fault that Seto had to duel and then escape a virtual "Gozaburo" before he violated his mind and body. It's just the way things turned out. _So, get over it_!"

"Oh, no…no," Namiko said again, slapping Jounouchi in the face and enjoying her stinging hand. She grinned at the blond's red cheek and dragged the tip of the dagger under his chin—making scratches. He flinched. "Here's how the story goes. Once upon a time, there was a boy named 'Seto' who was a total loser." She eyed Seto. He took half a step in her direction when the dark eyes turned back to Jou. "Seto-boy's adopted father had to do everything for him—make him study when he didn't feel like it, provide a nice home, people to look after him… But, that wasn't enough."

Hearing this, Seto folded his arms and shook his head "no" to himself. He wasn't in the mood for Namiko's "story time."

"Well," she continued, "this boy makes a deal with his new father to prove that he should become the new heir and CEO. He's given two percent of the Kaiba Corp stock—which is still an insane amount, by the way. In one year, he'd have to pay back ten times the amount of the current Kaiba Corp stock price."

"Or be sent back to the orphanage," Seto added, venom dripping. "Don't forget that part. We'd be homeless again, so we'd have to go back."

Jounouchi gave him an incredulous look. During all their time together, this was something that Seto could have shared with him…and should have shared with him…but didn't. Then again, from seeing the defensive stance that Seto was taking, it looked like an incredibly painful thing to admit to. Jou could see that, too. It made the blond think back to his own troubles with his father and getting kicked out of the house. _That's why Seto jumped in the way he did. He was trying to take care of me because there was a time when there was no one around for him and Mokuba._

"Back to the story," Namiko said, seeming slightly bored. "Miracle of all miracles, the boy makes the money in a _single day_. A day, mind you…"

Seto scowled at her. "Your point?"

"In a day? I seriously doubt that. I think someone on your board gave you the money." She gave him a toothy grin. "And, as time passes, Seto-boy gets in with the Kaiba Corp Board—really well—and they begin to buy up fifty-one percent of the company."

"Seto's right. Get this over with," Jounouchi said. "Math and percentages were never my strong point."

The corners of Seto's mouth fought to smile. His puppy had a way of doing that to him.

"Strangely, not long after that, Gozaburo suddenly…dies." She put on a fake pout. "Poor Goza-baby."

"Yes, we get it. We've got that part, Namiko," Seto said, slowly edging his way over to them as she talked.

Jounouchi's jaw tightened and he squinted his eyes shut. Namiko pulled back a fist-full of hair. The dagger danced around his jugular and Seto stopped. "Don't make me nervous, Kaiba-sama, or I might get clumsy with this blade." Her dark eyes shined. "You don't want to startle me and have your girly, blond bed-partner look like he died of committing jigai—a very womanly way to die, I might add, because it's _quick_ and fairly painless."

Jounouchi could feel his heartbeat as the blade pushed against his skin. _If she's going to do it, I can't stop her. I'm at her mercy. But, I can keep her talking…_ He cut his eyes toward Namiko. "However, Gozaburo wasn't hit by a truck or anything…" Dark eyes looked into hazel ones. "He was pushed…out the window…by a boy named Seto."

"Wha?" Jounouchi said. "No! You've got it all wrong. It didn't happen that way."

Here was a giggle close to his ear. "I met with Gozaburo's old secretary—a charming woman who lives in an assisted living community with her canary named 'Ringo.' And she confirmed it." Namiko traced the curve of Jounouchi's ear with the tip of her tongue and Seto could do nothing more than watch the blond cringe at the feeling. "Hmmm….salty…" Then, she laughed a little to herself. "In fact, she's been paid money to keep quiet for quite a long time now, right?" Her eyes darted to Seto.

"No," Jou said, looking into blue eyes to agree with him. "Tell her!"

"And, to be honest, Katsuya-kun," Namiko said with a laugh, "if you think a zit splattering against a bathroom mirror is bloody and gross, you should see what a human body looks like after it falls fifty-two floors."

"Ugh!" Jounouchi scrunched his eyes tightly, pushed his elbows out and caught Namiko in the ribs. Jou was shocked to see her suddenly falling back on her ass. So, he scrambled away with his neck bleeding down the front of his shirt. He was breathing hard now.

Seto grabbed a wrist and yanked Jou further from Namiko's grasp. He glowered at her, arms at his hips. "One thing I've learned from watching horror films with Jou," Seto said with a kind of angry triumph in Namiko's direction, "is to never sit next to him because he reacts badly to scenes of gore--including, in your case, dead bodies and zits."

The blond was having dry heaves now. "That was bad. I think I'm gonna puke," the blond said half leaning over and feeling warm blood seeping through his fingers.

"Then, don't look down at yourself," Seto mumbled. "I swear that I've taken you to the hospital so often that they have a room reserved for you."

"You're so good to me," Jou griped.

"Yeah, I know."

A foot connected with Jounouchi's chest, sending him backwards. He had no idea it was coming because he'd turned his head to look at Seto. The blond just assumed it was over because he'd gotten away and they outnumbered her—two to one. On the way to the ground, Jou regretted letting his guard down. It was stupid of him.

Seto found a dagger coming inches from the bridge of his nose. He stepped back, not liking the idea of fighting on top of a building where everyone could see (and possibly photograph) him striking a woman. Briefly, he worried about it. But, from looking at Jounouchi, and the blood splatters on the ground, he chose not to care anymore.

The CEO crumbled when Namiko kicked his knee hard. The pain was impossible to deal with. Before he knew it, Seto was on the ground beside Jou. Her next strike came quickly. He thought he'd dodged it in time. Then, he realized that she was able to land a blow. Namiko slashed his coat down to the skin, he had a thin like of red seeping through.

There was a sound. A whir. A white Kaiba Corp helicopter, with KC on the rudder, suddenly rose from the south and hovered thirty feet away. They were close enough to seem intimidating, but too far to be of any real help. Seto, Jou, and Namiko were all standing on the roof's helio-pad, too. So, there was nowhere to land. The pilot motioned desperately to them.

With the dagger raised, Namiko's dark eyes had a look of unmistakable triumph. Nothing and no one would deprive her of what she wanted—the deaths of the two people before her. She pooled all of her energy into her arm. She'd need it for the two thrusts that he hand planned. She'd cut Seto first—just to be efficient. He was the closest. Upon the exit wound, most likely, she knew that Jou would try to stop her, grab her wrist or place a blow to a pressure point. But, she'd be ready for that—step away, evade, and come in for a strike with Seto's blood covered blade to the chest. Then, she'd escape the hovering helicopter and take a private flight out of Japan to Taiwan.

Seto lifted his chin, blue eyes wide. Namiko took a step forward. This was it. And two shots rang out. Her body reacted almost immediately, shaking with the blows of the bullets. She turned her dark head in the direction of the door behind her only to see Taka's grinning face and the gun's wisp of smoke thanks to the cool evening.

_He followed me here…that bastard!_

Seto grabbed Jounouchi by the arm and scrambled out of the way. They tumbled off to the left.

Namiko backed up. Her chest was covered in blood. He'd hit her shoulder and her left side.

"Never try to fuck with Yakuza," Taka said, watching her stumble back again like a drunk. "Your blackmail didn't work and won't work now. And I'm not going to let you kill the very people _we paid you_ to track down."

Dark eyes shot back at him.

"Stupid little baby." She had so much adrenaline pumping through her now that she didn't care about him or anything else anymore. "I already mailed that stuff to your boss. Enjoy your head, Taka, for as long as you have it." She forced herself to chuckle even though she was bent over with pain. Huge, red splotches of blood hitting the ground. "And, I mean the head that's south of your belt buckle—not that it's very big."

Taka's eyes widened. She'd tricked him again. Namiko never intended to keep her word back at the café. "You were gonna frame me to my big boss and then take all of those Duel Monsters cards for yourself," he said out loud, coming to the realization.

Namiko grinned evilly back. "Bingo, Einstein."

With a cold look in his eyes, Taka raised the gun one more time.

There was no fear. He'd expected it—wanted it. He needed to see Namiko beg for her life because no one betrays a yakuza. She was a woman and all women were manipulative, ball-breaking witches. Even the big boss said so. Instead, her defiant grin was the last thing he saw when Namiko fell off the side of the building and into the water.

"Damn!" He yelled, running to the edge with his gun.

He looked down desperately. He aimed—motioning the gun right and left—but the water was dark and murky.

Nothing.

* * *


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

"She fell!" the Kaiba Corp pilot yelled to the two passengers behind him. It didn't matter, though. They could see it for themselves out the side window. They had practically front row seats from the start. And Kageyama's assistant, a short haired Japanese man in his mid 30's, had yelled to "watch out," knowing full well that it was impossible for Kaiba Seto to hear.

"Roland," he barked at the man beside him with the laptop, "boot that damn thing up and bring up the files on that 'Namiko' person."

The man nodded. Society conditioned him to agree unconditionally--no matter how stupid or futile the request. And, deep down, they both knew that Namiko had gone over the edge.

"Okay…the file's booting up…" Namiko's picture and data written in Japanese began to pop up on the screen.

"From the photo, it certainly seems like the woman who fell," Roland said.

The assistant looked over at the screen with a hard glare. "I agree. Anything else there worth noting…?" He said it without really caring what the answer would be. He looked out the side window again only to see the yakuza still waving the gun around. The assistant knew that Roland really wasn't one for violence. So, this would distract him and, at the same time, remind Roland just who was in charge here.

Roland's eyes looked at the screen—searching. "The usual blah, blah, blah… blood type A. There's a guess about her three sizes. But, I hear that Kaiba-sama would be the expert on that. Wink. Wink. …Hobbies are thought to be cooking and cliff diving."

"Wait… What did you just say?"

"Which part?"

"Hobbies…"

"Eh?" Roland said, "cooking…and cliff diving… in Hawaii…when she was dating that real estate agent who turned up dead…"

"How many stories is that bank building?"

Both the assistant and Roland glared down at the dark water.

"No!" Roland said loudly, "She has _got to be_ dead. She just has to be."

* * *

Taka turned and aimed his gun at Seto's head. "Give me a reason," he growled. He'd love to pull the trigger. He'd already done it twice and shot that Namiko bitch who was blackmailing him. It didn't exactly solve his problems due to her interference. But, damn, it felt good to take her down. Taka grinned at the pair. He was known for his quick thinking and his opportunistic ways. So, killing the great "Kaiba Seto" in full view of his own people on the helicopter would have been a bold, almost notorious thing to do in yakuza circles—if he could just get away with it.

Hazel eyes narrowed. That look on Taka's face was familiar—cold. Jounouchi had seen it before a hundred times when he was in the gang. It was enough to convince him.

"We'll do whatever you want," Jounouchi said, raising his hands up in the air and taking a side step to try to block Taka's view of the CEO. "Just…just don't hurt him, okay?"

"Trying to protect your boss, huh?" Taka said to him. "I can respect that. Loyalty's good."

Seto shot Jou a vicious look. No one speaks for Kaiba Seto—_no one_. But, then, his face softened a little. The blond looked pathetic—like a beaten dog. His skin was white and his mouth was open a little with the rest of his body slightly hunched over. Seto noted the bloody skin and the red stains on the blond's shirt and pants. The smell of blood was on the wind, too.

"Anything you want," Jou said again, his voice shook this time.

"Stop it," Seto whispered to Jou. What bothered Seto the most, now, was the defeated sound in Jou's voice—like someone on the point of begging—not for his own life, but for the one who meant the most to him. But, there was the feeling that Jou wasn't budging from this, either. If Taka didn't agree to Jou's words and attacked anyway, Seto had a pretty good idea of the outcome.

"Whatever I want, huh?" Taka said, circling from Seto to Jou. "Well, to be honest with you, I can imagine quite a lot." He began to think of the extra cash that might get him out of this scrape that Namiko had happily placed him into with the organization and his big boss in particular. He could lie about the rest and blame Namiko for "faking" the video and photos—because all women, in his opinion, were slutty, conniving, and untrustworthy. What did they know of yakuza honor? Nothing.

"Well," Seto said, "then I think there is something you should know."

"Really? And what would that be?"

"That." Seto motioned a slender finger. He pointed behind Taka's right shoulder.

Yugi and Anzu jumped him.

Still slightly fuzzy from the blow that knocked him out, Yugi went for the arm with the gun—only to find an elbow thrust in his stomach as a yakuza "thank you." Anzu, who had recovered first from Namiko's strike, kicked the knees out from under Taka just as she had learned to do in her "Self-defense for Women" lecture at school.

Taka crumbled to the ground before he knew it—sending his gun spinning. But, coming from a street fighter background, he was smart enough to know how to turn the tables. He turned, lunged, and grabbed Anzu's wrist. The next thing Anzu knew, Taka had an arm around her neck.

"I'll break it," Taka promised as Seto and Jou approached.

Reaching back down onto the ground, he took the gun back and held it to her cheek.

"You guys really thought you were smart, huh? Wanna see 'doll-face' all blown up? Huh? Do you really want her back with a hole in her head? I'll toss her body in after Nami-bitch."

"Just let her go," Yugi pleaded, violet eyes wide.

The yakuza dragged Anzu to the door.

"Open it, bitch," he growled.

With a shaking hand, she did it and Taka began to drag her away. It was taxing for them both because, in addition to the stairs leading down from the roof, there were three flights of stairs that they had to navigate together just to get to the ground level. Anzu's feet hurt horribly from just trying to keep up with his awkward strides, and she could feel the metal in the gun being forced into her face with each step. It was bruising her.

"We've gotta go after her!" Yugi yelled to Seto and Jou.

Seto flipped open his phone and held down the number five button. "Kageyama?"

"I'm right on it. My assistant is in the helicopter. And I'm here with my team in the bakery van parked across the street." There was a brief silence. "Wait… I see the yakuza and his hostage." Her tone reflected her Japanese military background. For some reason, it felt reassuring to Seto. He just couldn't convey that feeling to his companions.

Seto lead Yugi and Jou down the stairs. "Why, the hell, didn't anybody see this guy enter the building?" He stomped along, annoyed that they had a new situation to deal with.

"He must have been in there before we arrived. If so, he had a helluva lot of time to kill to do that," she shot back. "Right now, he's entering a silver Mitsubishi. Do we follow or do we cut them off?"

Yugi and Jou, noticing that Seto had slowed down a bit due to his conversation, took the chance to pass him on the stairs. They took off at full speed. Seto glared at their backs. He knew their efforts were pointless now.

"He's got a handgun and Anzu as a hostage. So, we'll just have to follow…for now…"

"Right!"

Seto hung up the phone.

When they were outside, Yugi and Jou were in the middle of the street with their fists balled up and red faced—watching Taka and Anzu leave in the car.

"This way! Oi!" Seto shouted at them. "Yugi? You do _want_ your girlfriend back. Am I right about that?"

"Let's get Anzu!" Yugi said and stepped into the left passenger side of Seto's black Honda. Jou sat up front close to Seto.

The car took off with Seto's face looking much the same way it always did when he dueled.

They turned a sharp corner.

"Seto, what will we do if we lose them?" Jou glanced with worried eyes.

"It's what that guy wants. But, we'll keep trying."

They headed down a narrow street and avoided a row of trashcans.

Seto looked up and saw the Kaiba Corp helicopter flying overhead. He tossed his phone to Jou. "Push five, put it on speaker, and ask them where that yakuza is now. I've lost him." He pushed chestnut hair out of his eyes. Then, he floored it and the car jumped quickly.

"Right!" The blond did it. "I'm calling for Kaiba. We've lost the gangster and Anzu. Please, tell me that you can see where the car is."

Everyone could hear a woman's voice coming from the phone. Her voice sounded serious but there was a thread of something in it that sounded almost like amusement. Seto hoped that it was due to the thrill of the chase. Deep down, though, he guessed that it was talking to Jounouchi that she enjoyed. Yes, Kageyama probably knew everything already and approved of Jou.

"This is Kageyama. My assistant tells me that the subject in question and his hostage took a left—two blocks back. The Kaiba Corp helicopter is circling around right now. We're turning our van around, too." They could hear her van's engine rev as it switched gears in the background.

"That's great!" Yugi said from the back seat.

"Wonderful!" Jou agreed. "We'll be friends forever, Kageyama, if you can just help us find Anzu," he said, enthused.

Cold, icy blue eyes shot sideways at Jounouchi when he said that. It was followed by a chuckle on the telephone.

"I said too much again, huh, Seto?"

"Puppy, we have got to have a talk at some point about…"

"I see them," Kageyama said authoritatively. "They've just pulled into a multi-story mall parking garage."

"Finally," Yugi said, "we've got them cornered!"

"How stupid are you?" Seto said with a sad shake of his head. "He's there to switch cars. And, this time, he may not be alone. That yakuza planned on getting to this point all along."

"No!" Jounouchi said, his face scowling hard.

"I know the mall she's talking about. Mokuba's goes there a lot. So let's get to that garage," Seto said grimly. The car picked up speed as it made a left onto a major street.

It seemed like buildings passed them. Cars, way too slow to be on these streets, kept getting in their way. A stop light with a hazy, red glow. It felt like a slow crawl after that, but Seto was expert in changing lanes. Every once in awhile, he'd look behind him to see the van with Kageyama and two other of his people inside. They seemed to be in constant contact with the helicopter overhead. He could see Kageyama looking up through the windshield at the sky. Seto could also catch glimpses at Yugi in the seat behind him. He was deeply worried. Jou was just plain scared and hiding it poorly.

_From living his gang life, I guess he knows more than anybody what can happen to Anzu. _

They turned another corner and the traffic got thicker. Yes, they were near the mall. Roughly, Seto whipped the car in—looking for the silver Mitsubishi that they'd seen driving away from the bank building. Unfortunately, this mall was popular with tourists. And, even in the early evening, there were cars parked.

Kageyama's van and Seto's car split up. Kageyama made it for the top level while Seto's car searched for everything in between.

While taking the lane down toward the exit ramp, Kageyama found a car blocking their path with the engine still running.

Seto's phone was ringing. Jou flipped it open.

"I'm sorry," Kageyama said, "they got away."

* * *


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

"OUCH!"

"Quit complaining. You know you need this."

"Seto, I just said 'ouch.' So, be gentle with me, will ya?"

"Where would be the fun in that?" Seto drawled, a crooked grin on his face.

"You're just _so good_ to me," the blond complained, hazel eyes looking away.

"That's me. I'm the person you wanted, right? Now, Puppy, take your shirt off."

Jounouchi sighed openly. "It's ruined forever," he griped, removing the shirt and putting it on the coffee table next to the open first aid kit. "I saved up for two weeks to buy that shirt."

The medallion glinted against Jou's chest. Seto felt himself drawn to it, but said nothing.

The blond had been squirming beside Seto on the couch for the last fifteen minutes. The big gash on his shoulder was painful, yes it was. However, it turned out that the irritating little cuts and nicks that Namiko had put under his chin really irritated him. Seeing that, Seto set to work with the first aid kit. He had become an expert with it considering how careless Mokuba had been on the playground when he was younger, and the times his little brother had been running by the side of their indoor pool, fell, and skinned up his knees.

Right now, though, just to keep Jou distracted, he was needling him—which worked.

"Well, the shirt is red now," Seto murmured, "and red is not your color."

Seto had gently scrubbed the dried blood off. Now, he was rubbing antibacterial cream on Jou's chin, throat, and neck.

"Humph, very funny," Jou complained.

Seto leaned in more, trying to get a better view of the deepest, red scratch under Jounouchi's chin. The dabbing stung and annoyed Jou somewhat. But, he also had to admit that he was enjoying Seto's attention immensely. He was sure that Seto could feel it, too. One hand with slender fingers was attending to his cuts with soft little dabs. The other hand was resting on his shoulder. Jou could feel his face heating up. Maybe, if he was lucky—if they were lucky—the two of them could be alone and get…

"Mokuba?!" Seto called. In a flash, the raven haired child was in the room with them.

_Not a chance, now,_ Jou thought grimly, feeling his hormones rage briefly only to have them fade away into nothingness.

"Can I help now?" the child asked. "I really want to because I'm kind of worried about Jounouchi-nii." He turned large, concerned eyes toward the blond. The child fidgeted a bit, too.

Jounouchi melted a little at that. _Okay, he's a great kid_, Jou thought again. _He ruins my love life—sure—but he really cares about me._

Seto was amused with Mokuba's alacrity and couldn't hide his smile from his younger brother.

"Throw this rag in the garbage."

"Right!" The child grabbed the shirt and disappeared.

His jaw dropped. One minute the shirt was there. The next… Jou watched the bloodied shirt leave with eyes wide open. "What?" the blond said, moving his chin away from the dabbing that Seto was doing. "Aren't we even going to try to get the stains out?"

_Silly puppy… Why do you get so attached to things that don't really matter?_

"I'll buy you a new one—same color and everything. Now, show me your chin again."

"But, we could at least _try_, Seto."

"You said it was ruined forever. I agree with you. Now, chin up!" Seto put more cream on and dabbed lightly. He noticed his puppy's eyes watering. He didn't want to wince at that pathetic look. "And, Jou?" _Time to change the subject again…_

"Yes?"

"Did I bandage your arm too tightly?"

"Wha-?" He smiled at his better half. "No, Seto," Jounouchi said, moving his arm and trying the tightness of the bandage out for size, "it's perfect…kind of like…you."

Blue eyes narrowed a bit. "I'm not perfect." He took a shallow breath. "You heard Namiko. Some of what she said was true…in a way."

Jounouchi's hazel eyes met with blue ones.

"Care to tell, then?" He cocked his head to one side.

Seto leaned forward and closed the first aid kit just as Mokuba got back.

"Bedtime," Seto said. "And no listing to your Ipod in bed until 1 AM. Right?" He closed the first aid kit.

A boyish grin was flashed his way. "Yes, Nii-sama," the child said, feeling a little awkward because Seto pegged him right. "Good night." He turned to look at the blond. "And, Jounouchi-nii? Feel better. Okay? I'm glad we got you back in one piece."

"Thanks, kid," Jou said and was totally surprised to feel Mokuba hugging him with a huge grin. And, before he knew it, Mokuba was gone with the pounding of feet up the stairs.

The two of them sat side by side on the couch—waiting to see if Mokuba would return wanting a bottle of water or something. He often did. They both watched the ceiling and listened for more footsteps. But, after a minute, they decided that all was quiet.

"Yugi's pretty much devastated," Jounouchi said in a hollow voice. Now that Mokuba was in his room, Jou felt that they could finally discuss what was on their minds.

"I know," Seto replied while going over to the corner of the couch and getting the soft throw that Jou really liked. "It's a hard thing to accept."

"Yeah, but we'll get her back." The blond's words were determined, but his voice seemed to betray his heart--saying "maybe."

Seto sat back down next to Jou. "That yakuza took her for a reason—probably the same reason why he didn't let Namiko kill us. He was saying something about paying her for tracking us down. I suppose they thought that it was easier to have her do that job."

"So, is Anzu okay?"

Blue eyes looked away. "Truthfully?"

"Yeah, Seto…truthfully," Jounouchi said, leaning his head on Seto's shoulder. Usually, he wanted to show Seto how strong and independent he could be. But, now, all he wanted was the warmth of the CEO.

"I don't know. That's the most honest answer I can give you." He glanced over to Jou and gritted his teeth a little to see his puppy so worried. But there was nothing he could do, though. "And this may not be the best time to discuss…something…but I'd like to."

Hazel eyes changed—from deep concern to almost fear.

"How bad?" he asked.

Seto took a short breath and let it out. "First, let's get comfortable." He grabbed the pillows and put them down against one arm of the couch. He guided a shirtless Jounouchi into his arms, put the throw over them both, and the two spooned. Seto's arms were wrapped around Jou with a protective strength.

_He_ _feels really warm_, Jou thought. _This would be so wonderful if it wasn't for the reason why we're like this._

There was a silent moment between them. Jou wasn't sure if it was his imagination or not, but he thought he could feel Seto's heartbeat—a hard and strong one against his bare back.

"There is something, huh?" Jou said. He could feel a large hand stroke his cheek as an answer.

"Yes…"

"I'll listen, then…"

Seto leaned his head softly against Jou's. "I'm not really sure how to start this. I'm much better at ignoring the past or, maybe, trying to 'manage' it would be a better description."

"That sounds like you," the blond said and snuggled into the throw a bit.

"Cold?" Seto asked. He frowned with concern.

"No," he said back, "I've got you to keep me warm."

"Romantic…as usual."

"The rock and the kite. That's us." It was followed by a soft chuckle.

Seto took another breath and let it out slowly. "Namiko was mixing truth and lies again."

"I thought so," Jou replied. There was an edge to his voice at the thought of Namiko. Seto didn't blame him.

"She was right about the fact that I was forced to study—economics, math, game theory, computer languages, foreign languages, social studies, and logic. Then, I'd be tested. I was exhausted all the time. It never seemed to end. And there were all sorts of threats that involved Mokuba. Early on, Gozaburo knew that Mokuba was my only true weakness. He took advantage of that when he could. And Gozaburo was constantly giving me advice on how to live my life as a future CEO."

"That must have been hard," Jou replied softly.

"It was…because I learned those lessons well… Too well." Seto sighed. "You weren't the only person to call me 'robot,' you know."

Jou could feel Seto's arms tighten a little.

"On the day he died, I was in his office. I wasn't supposed to be there, but I'd skipped school. I didn't care. I knew everything anyway." Seto rested his face against blond hair. "Do you know, Jounouchi, I really like the way your hair smells?" He got a murmured "thank you" and he smiled.

"Is that part of the story?" his better half joked.

"I wish it were." Seto rested against him and then continued, "At first, it seemed like Gozaburo was furious with me, of course, for skipping school. He wanted to know what I was up to." Seto shrugged at the memory. "I just wanted to annoy him. I had ousted him from his very own company. I was CEO now thanks to some financial wizardry, stocks, and getting the board behind me as the 'child genius' of Kaiba Corp. We got such great publicity from my age alone that the stocks soared even higher."

"Then what happened?" Jou asked. "Namiko had to misinterpret something in a way…that…you didn't want to tell me."

He got a soft "yes" as an answer.

"You don't have to finish this if you don't want to," Jou said. "It would be okay."

"He was mad," Seto continued and felt Jou's shoulders stiffen a little. Maybe, the blond was thinking about his own father's tantrums. Seto didn't know.

"Kaiba Corp was his life, and he was shouting about that at me."

Jounouchi nodded. He understood shouting only too well. "It hurts when they do that—the yelling," the blond said.

Seto thought a minute. Some part of him needed to phrase the next part just right. "He kept saying that it was all my fault…that this was ridiculous…how everything turned out. He kept raving about the chess game that we played when we first met. How I had won… He seemed angrier about that than anything else. That's when Mrs. Sakamoto stuck her head in. She was Gozaburo's elderly secretary—always into 'feng shui' and 'harmony' and all that sort of crap. He barked at her to leave and she did. But, I noticed that she seemed worried."

"Worried?" Jou said quietly.

"She was worried about me. The concern felt strange, I suppose, like she thought I couldn't handle myself around him." Seto laughed darkly at the thought. "Hell, I lived with him! I wasn't so weak that I needed her."

"Seto, she felt concern and…I would have, too, had I known you then."

"You knew me at Death-T, remember?" He cringed at the thought. What a horrible time that was.

The blond turned his face back to Seto and frowned. "We were both different people back then."

The blue eyes softened. "True."

"You've got to let go of that, Seto." He said it in a soothing tone. For a second, Seto almost felt that he could do it just that easily.

"And then what happened…?"

"He…grabbed me."

"What?" Jou said in shock, sitting up. The throw fell to Jou's waist.

Seto blinked up at him. "Well, he did."

"I'm sorry, Seto," Jou breathed. "I'm here to listen. And I interrupted. It's just that…"

"You care about me. I know," Seto finished for him. Very gently, he tugged the blond down onto the couch. Once again they were together, and he smiled to himself. How did he get so lucky?

"Gozaburo was _unhappy_ with me…to put it mildly."

"Call it what it was, Seto. He was mad. He was boiling."

"Yes, he was," Seto said, leaning his head to the side and letting chestnut hair fall out of his eyes. "So, he grabbed my wrist and started yelling about the chess game, my takeover, and his life turning to crap because of me." Seto took another deep breath and let it out. "He had my wrist and he was shaking me by it—hard. I fought back. I wanted him to let me go. Maybe, I could escape…find Mokuba…go somewhere where Gozaburo would never bother us again. I pulled with everything I had in me. And I pulled again."

Seto felt his heart beating harder now than ever before.

"I got free."

He looked down at Jou.

"I ran to the door."

He held onto the blond tightly.

"And I looked back to see that Gozaburo had lost his balance and fell against the glass window behind the desk." He took a shaky breath. "I suppose, my mind couldn't accept it when I saw the glass breaking away from the frame. His body fell. It disappeared."

Jounouchi placed a warm palm across Seto's hand.

"That's horrible," the blond said, "to be that young and to see that happen."

"But…I didn't …try to stop it. I didn't even try to rescue him. I just watched."

Strong arms from behind loosened around Jou. "Hold me tighter, Seto," he murmured. And, almost immediately, he got his wish.

"The secretary appeared behind me. I'm not sure exactly when. But, she took it worse than I did. She practically ran, in this pitiful sort of hobble, to the gaping hole. She kept screaming his name in that pathetic voice of her's. And, sometimes, I can still hear her screaming it."

Hazel eyes turned to look at blue ones. "I'm sorry that happened to you."

"I just wanted to forget it."

The blond relaxed in his arms again.

"When they found the body outside, everyone started to say that it was a suicide. It had to be because of the takeover. They said that the glass was pushed out from the inside and that it took a lot of force to do it. So, they guessed that maybe he did it out of grief. Mrs. Sakamoto confirmed that he had been deeply depressed and that she was worried about me in his office. And that I had been at the door to the office when he fell."

"But Namiko wanted to twist this into something that she could blackmail you with," Jou said simply.

"I think she was looking for any opportunity to drive a wedge between the two of us. And, probably, she wanted to cause as much pain as she could."

"I agree," the blond said back, pulling the comforter against the two of them now. "But I do have a question."

"Yes?"

"Why was Gozaburo upset about a chess match with you? It seems so weird…"

Seto's face went blank for a second. "I had made a deal with him back in the orphanage. If I won the game, he'd adopt me and Mokuba. We'd finally have a home."

"So," Jou said with a smile in his voice, "I get it. You played with him and won. Hey, if that hadn't happened, Seto, we would never have met. It's a really good thing you are brilliant at games."

Seto rested his head against the blond again. He really did love the smell of Jou's hair. "You know, that's the only time…in my entire life…when I…cheated."

Hazel eyes flew open at that.

Seto cringed openly. _I think this was what I was afraid of all along. Yes…afraid._ It was a relief that the blond was facing away from him.

"I think, at the very end, Gozaburo might have guessed that I'd done that. I was desperate at the time. I had to win. I had to give Mokuba the best home that I could find. And, at that point in my life, it meant 'a house, money, and status.'" He nuzzled a blond's neck in the hopes that Jounouchi would understand. "I still value those things. Money is necessary. But, it isn't everything anymore. You taught me that." He reflected back again. "But, now, I will never know if I had it in me to really beat him—to win."

Seto sighed.

Blue eyes closed tightly. "That makes me a cheat, huh?" It was barely above a whisper.

Jou was still lying in his arms, looking away at nothing in particular. Jounouchi was, in his opinion still a "goody-goody" member of the Geek Squad. Seto was certain that this kind of confession would hurt their relationship somehow. And some part of him was still waiting for it—the disappointment and the disapproval.

When the silence became almost too much for him, Seto repeated:

"That makes me a cheat."

"No, Seto. That makes you human."

* * *


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

In the Kaiba Mansion, Seto was sitting behind his desk. It was made of highly polished mahogany wood and was intricately carved by a master craftsman in France. The CEO's fingers flicked effortlessly over the keys of the laptop. He was hoping to finish the last of his business e-mails before checking his office voicemail. There were always petty things going on at work and idiots who enjoyed throwing fuel on the fire because it would make them feel important. _Stupid people doing stupid things in stupid ways._ Still, that was the nature of work in big business. _People. Power. Control_. And, then, there was the "golden rule"—the person with the gold made the rules. He was used to that because he had gold—he had a lot of gold.

Seto's phone started ringing on its own seconds after he'd picked it up to call his office phone to check the voicemail. The sound was jarring. He flipped the phone open.

"Kaiba-kun. It's me."

That voice. He knew it well, but not the tone it was taking tonight.

"Yugi?" Seto said. Some part of him, deep down, hoped that the person Yugi really wanted to talk to was Jounouchi. Seto told himself that he wasn't good with people. And giving sympathy to someone other than Mokuba and Jou would be impossible for him. It just was.

"I've got a text message from…Anzu."

"Anzu? I see…" Seto's eyes widened at that. He stood up and looked out the window into the night, forcing himself not to feel anything.

"I'm forwarding it on to you. We need to deal with this—you, me, and Jounouchi-kun." Yugi's voice sounded strange. It was an odd mix of dread, excitement, and fear. There was a thread of hope in it, too.

"Send it."

Within seconds, Seto received the text message. His phone beeped at him.

"I know it's late and all, but we have to deal with it tonight. So, I'll see you there." With that, Yugi hung up without saying "goodbye." Seto arched a brown eyebrow. Yugi was "Mr. Manners" and never behaved like that. _I know he's worried. I understand it. Had that been Mokuba…or Jounouchi…_ Then, Seto blinked. _Meet you there?_ He punched a few buttons on his phone and started reading the text message. Okay, now Yugi made sense.

There was a soft knock at the door just as Seto was sitting back down behind the desk. The CEO had looked over the message two or three times before saying, "come" to the person on the other side.

"Seto?" Jounouchi said, coming into the study, "Do you want something? I'm making tea and snacks for Mokuba. He's going to pull an all-nighter to study for his math test tomorrow." Jou entered the room with his hands in his pockets. He noticed the frown on Seto's face while he stared at his phone. "If it's work, I can bring you… some dark coffee, maybe?" The blond tried not to concern himself too much with Seto's non-reaction—which was typical when he was busy or his mind was focused on a fiasco at work. It would all be fine anyway because Seto was a business genius after all.

Slowly, blue dragon eyes looked up at him. "We've got a meeting—you and I—tonight. Yugi's going to meet us there."

"It's Anzu, right?" Jou said, feeling his heart beating harder. "And, if it's the same yakuza, we'll probably see Honda, too, right?"

"Maybe." Seto replied with a shrug. He could see disappointment showing up on his puppy's face. He hated it, but added. "It's the most honest answer I can give."

"I can respect that." Jounouchi nodded back at him. Seto wasn't in control of this situation. So, there was no way he could really tell the future. "You're right, Seto. Sorry to put pressure on you." He put a hand behind his head and ruffled his own hair nervously.

"We're going to meet them at this place," he said, showing the text message to Jounouchi. "Leave it to the yakuza to pick somewhere in the industrial district to meet. And we have less than thirty minutes to get there—not that Domino is a big place, mind you."

Jounouchi's breath hitched when he read the message. He almost didn't hear Seto say, "I need to call my people in now. I've got a few ideas on how to deal with this." It all faded away—the room, the sound of Seto's voice—everything.

Seto stared down at his desk with a scowl. Jounouchi was unnaturally quiet. He was probably worried about Anzu, a close friend for years, and Honda—a buddy who was even closer. Maybe the excitement was getting to him. And, there was the real possibility that this would not work out and someone would be injured—or worse. Some part of Seto briefly considered letting the police handle this. But, they had less than thirty minutes and the Japanese police were notorious for being slow and by the book. Could they really risk Anzu and Honda?

Blue eyes glanced up at the blond puppy. He looked crushed, holding the cell phone in both hands now—staring down into its soft glow.

Seto sighed to himself. He could see that Jounouchi needed an arm around him. Well, he could do that easily in his own mansion.

Seto got up and circled the desk. "Jou?"

Jounouchi looked over at him. His mind snapping back to the present.

"I know you're worried," Seto said while placing a long, slender hand on the blond's shoulder. "We'll deal with this…right?" He was waiting for Jou to come back with an enthusiastic "Right!"

Instead, Jou lowered his head back down and read the text message again. He blinked at it as though the abbreviated words were sand slipping away.

A large, slender hand took the phone back from Jounouchi and pocketed it. Seto stood face to face and touched his forehead against Jou's while resting his hands on either side of Jounouchi's waist. He waited for Jou to do what he usually did—lean into him. And, usually, it was a comfort. The blond didn't do it. He held onto his medallion instead, squeezing it into the palm of his left hand.

Jounouchi looked questioningly when he suddenly felt Seto's hand peeling the fingers away from the medallion. "That's a little too rough," he said softly, "you're going to bend it or hurt your hand." Hazel eyes flashed an apology. Seto continued with "I need to contact my people, find out where in Domino this place is, and we'll go."

Jounouchi shook his head absently, which concerned Seto.

The CEO closed his eyes and took a breath. He let it out. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

Hazel eyes looked over at him—haunted. It was finally apparent why he had been holding the phone with both hands. He needed to stop himself from shaking. "Never again. That's what I said… I don't want to…" the blond murmured.

"I don't understand." He cocked his head to one side and brushed chestnut hair out of his eyes.

"Sorry…" Jou cringed a little. He was being stupid and childish. "You won't need a map to find this warehouse, Seto. I can lead you straight to it."

Without turning his face up again, Jounouchi whispered, "Do me a favor?" His eyes were cast in shadow, hiding under a mop of blond hair.

"What?"

"Hold me."

* * *

Seto cringed, thinking over the last few minutes. Walking out to the garage, he noticed Jou's blank stare and his slack posture. It was so unlike his better half that, Seto told himself, the whole attitude irritated him. It wasn't anxiety; it was irritation. The great Kaiba Seto does not fret or feel anxiety. He gets irritated. Yes, that was it. But, when he ordered Jounouchi to stay at the mansion instead, the blond refused and simply continued walking like out of a dream. No, not a dream, a nightmare.

Seto finished his phone call, pocketed the phone, and handed a full face motorcycle helmet to Jou. He had another one for himself. Seto pulled on the Italian leather gloves onto his hands and said with the visor up, "Just hold onto me." His only response was a nod from Jou's helmet.

The motorcycle revved into life.

Once they got to the warehouse, Seto knew that he was going to demand some answers—whether Jou was up to it or not.

They drove on through the night on the green Triumph. Sometimes, the road dipped and they hit a cold pocket. Seto wished that he'd worn something thicker. _Probably, Jou should have, too, _he reflected.

Jounouchi watched the lights pass him in the darkness and thought back. Only when they reached a stop sign did Seto turn his head over his shoulder and ask for directions. He didn't feel any better with the answers that he got: simple, straight forward, empty. Add to the fact that the blond was hugging him hard from behind and leaning his head against his back.

Seto found himself beyond anxious—no "irritated"—not that he would have admitted it to anyone.

Since leaving the mansion, Jounouchi had shut himself down—allowing himself to only be an observer of the things that happened next. He could handle that. He had to do this now—to be here, to do this—one last time. Jou had to for his friends' sakes. On the back of the bike, Jou watched a dark world with neon lights blurring by. The neighborhood, now, was familiar. It was pulling him back in time. But Seto was his anchor. He kept Jou in the present. He wouldn't be going back to that. _The way it was…is over with._ Jou told himself that.

He prayed it.

* * *


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Anzu was tied to a chair. It didn't make her feel any better that Honda was tied to an identical chair right next to her.

"So, how long do you think they'll keep us like this?" she asked grimly.

Honda took a huffy breath at the question. "We'll I've been doing it, off and on, for several days now," he replied tartly. "I'm starting to get calluses on my ass. Thanks for asking, though."

She shot him a sour look. "I can't believe that we were so worried about you."

"Well, you should still be worried," Honda grumbled back, "I've overheard these four idiots and they're up to trouble. No doubt about that."

"Really?"

"Yup, they've got some business with Namiko that I don't understand. I think they are paying her to track us down. Apparently, they're too busy with their other 'business' deals to take on their grudge against us."

"Wait," Anzu said, eyes widening a little. "How do you know Namiko? How do you even know what she looks like?"

Honda glanced down at the dusty cement floor. "I was one of the first people she…I dunno…came across." He neglected to mention the fantasies that he had about her until he learned better. "And, like it or not…" He shot Anzu a sorriful look. "She handed me over to these guys pretty early on."

"What do you mean 'early on,' Honda-kun?"

Honda puffed out his cheeks a little. "They wanted me to work with them. In the beginning, I refused. Luckily, they only hit me in places that I could hide. They worked me over pretty good…until I agreed. And, you know, that 'Taka' character can hit really hard."

Anzu's jaw dropped. "They made you work with them…to spy on us?"

He didn't answer her.

"Then, you're the one that Namiko was talking about. You're the traitor."

Honda turned his head sharply to glare. "I did my best to lie and keep you, Yugi, Jounouchi, and even that total prick Seto away from the thugs out there who'd like us all dead." He struggled against his bindings. "I did my best…the only way I knew how…even if it meant that they'd take their anger out on me."

Anzu gave Honda an unblinking stare.

"I was totally alone." He gritted his teeth at how afraid he was knowing that no one was coming to get him. But, now, talking to Anzu made him feel foolish that he was ever afraid in the first place. The Japanese nature in him demanded that he should have accepted death easily and with dignity. But, he didn't do either. "And I don't care if you forgive me or not," he grumbled angrily under his breath.

"You don't need to ask for forgiveness. You didn't have a choice," she said back while watching Honda's profile. "Oi, Honda-kun?" Anzu bit her lower lip a little. "You may be surprised at this… but Namiko is…dead."

Honda's eyes widened at that. "You're kidding! You saw the body and everything?"

"I saw her get shot twice and fall off the bank building…and into the water. There's no way she can be alive."

Honda's jaw dropped. "Did…Kaiba…do that?" He almost didn't want to hear the answer. He could just imagine a half-crazed Kaiba Seto with a gun pointed at the bitch and pulling the trigger with a demon's laugh. How could Jounouchi, his friend, want to bed someone like that?

"No, it's that yakuza who is about our age," she said, feeling sick now. Her eyes darted all over the small warehouse office to see if there was any sign of him—even though a part of her knew it wasn't possible.

"Oh, that's Taka—the one who hits so hard," Honda said, "and he's bad news. He's been suspicious of me for a couple of days now. What kept me alive, I finally figured out, is that the yakuza got the impression that I'm the son of a yakuza. So, they're trying to track my family down."

Anzu paled at that. "That's great for you, but what about me?" She took a short, huffy breath. "I don't really know what to do now."

"Look," Honda said, an idea suddenly coming to him, "if I have to, I'll tell them that you're my girlfriend. They're sure to leave you alone then."

She shook her head nervously. "So, they just happen to kidnap your 'girlfriend' from the top of the bank building? That plot is more than just a little convenient, isn't it?"

Honda shook his head "yes." It did sound farfetched. "I'll keep thinking. I'll come up with something." He thought about it for a minute. "I know, you became my girlfriend…just now. And I can't let them kill you."

"Somehow, I don't think that's going to win the yakuza over," Anzu said dully.

"And I think I'd have something to say about that," came Yugi's voice from the broken window above.

"Yugi!" Anzu said.

"Yugi!" Honda almost shouted. But, he held back.

A hand wrapped in a black jacket smashed through the window. It didn't break the whole window but just enough for him to reach a hand in and finger the lock. With several hard jerks, Yugi slid it back.

A yellow, knotted rope fell from the window. Not long after, a spiky haired teen with tri-colored hair lowered himself down from above. "I forwarded the message that you sent me, Anzu, on to Kaiba-kun."

"The yakuza made me send that," Anzu said worriedly as she felt Yugi's hands at the ropes binding her to the chair.

Honda nodded in agreement. "Yeah, they made her. Also, they're moving out their inventory—boxes and boxes of those damn Duel Monsters cards and some stuff that says 'farm implements' and other crates of stuff that I can't make out. But, I do know that there's a truck coming tonight to cart it all away, so they're packing up…and cleaning out any sign that they've ever been here." Honda shook his head in anger.

"Well, Kaiba-kun and Jounouchi-kun should be here soon. I just couldn't wait for them. I hope they're okay with that!" He looked around. "Let's get out of here before the yakuza know," Yuri said with determination.

It turned out that it was far easier to untie Honda's ropes because the yakuza had allowed him a few minutes several times per day to have bathroom breaks rather than have the mess and smell of Honda leaving puddles on the floor.

"Up the rope," Yuugi urged. "You first, Honda!" He smiled but his tone seemed to say "now!"

Honda rubbed his wrists saying, "Send Anzu first."

"Nope, you go. Just do it."

Without another word, Honda climbed the rope. Though, upon reflecting on it, he guessed that Yugi wanted a moment alone with Anzu to "greet" each other with a sweet kiss. He'd let them have a quick peck in private.

"Oh, I always hated this part in gym class," she moaned. As she grabbed the rope, she asked, "So, what's the real reason why you sent Honda-kun up first?"

"Nothing gets by you, huh, Anzu?" Though it was said more as a statement than a question.

"Yes," she grinned as she hoisted herself up toward the window. The rough rope was hard on her hands.

Seeing that she was half way, Yuugi replied, "Because if you'd gone first, Honda-kun would have had the chance to look up your skirt."

Anzu blushed hard. "I'm so glad you thought about that."

Yuugi stood a little off to the left and grabbed the end of the rope—pulling it down to keep it straight and tight. He hoped that the tension would make it easier.

With effort, Anzu made it to the top and climbed through the window.

_And those white panties with the little strawberries all over them just don't suit her_, Yugi thought with a smile.

* * *

With the Triumph parked behind them, Jou and Seto headed off for the side door to the warehouse.

"This door was usually locked. But it was pretty easy to open when you'd pull on the door in a certain way, or with a good kick when your hands were too cold to bother," Jou said. He pressed the door closed, grabbed the knob, and gave it a small, diagonal jiggle followed by a sharp turn. It opened with a dull "click."

Seto shot him a quick look at that.

_After all this time, it still works. Why am I not surprised?_ He frowned inwardly. "Let's go," Jou said dully.

They walked down a dimly lit narrow corridor. Almost immediately, there was the smell of dust, cheap cigarettes, and mold in the air. Seto thought that it smelled like an old house. Jou stopped for a second and rubbed his nose. The smell was really getting to him. It was making him sick inside because he could almost smell something else_. It's just my imagination,_ he told himself when he caught Seto's sharp, blue eyes watching him.

"Let's continue the tour," Jou mumbled.

"This door here," he motioned to the closed door on the right, "is a closet. And the one at the far end of the hall was an office…I guess… There was nothing in there worth stealing when I was here."

"I had guessed that you'd been here before," Seto said, his hands in his pockets. He was giving his puppy a level stare that said "spill it."

Jou sighed to himself—feeling numb and not really caring for the moment if Seto was happy with him or not.

"This way," he mumbled again, pulling open a cheap interior door on the left to reveal a pit of darkness. Jou reached his hand in and flipped four switches. Eight industrial lights set into the ceiling buzzed loudly and then flickered blue before glowing to life. It was pretty much what Seto had expected to see when someone mentioned the word "warehouse." Inside, it was mostly empty. But there were boxes of what appeared to be labeled as "Duel Monsters cards" against the east wall.

Jou and Seto walked the length to go inspect. "Well, that's bound to be new," Seto grumbled. He approached the stacked boxes, ripped open the corner of one marked "cards," in black felt tip, and pulled out several "Swords of Revealing Light" cards. He was careful not to smudge the ink.

"Rub the ink on those and you'll surely get your light revealed," Jou said sarcastically.

With that, Seto tossed the fakes onto the floor. That's where they belonged anyway—with the balled up old newspapers and broken pieces of brown beer bottles.

The pair looked around and, besides the trash, there didn't seem to be much else except a poorly stacked tower of filthy crates marked "farm implements." The impromptu tower, stacked by someone carelessly, was leaning awkwardly to the left.

With his hands in his pockets, Jounouchi walked towards the center of the warehouse—his eyes catching everything, including the rows of dirty windows set up high. Some were broken. Some were just muddied over with dirt and grime. With it being night, the filthy ones were easier to spot—a brown film with no stars.

"You know, Seto, we used to call this place 'the mausoleum' back when I was in Hirutani's gang." His voice echoed with each word, losing all of its natural warmth. "I wasn't a member over night. Nope, he was too cool and too suspicious for that. I'd be with them…off and on… But, once I hung out with them long enough," he sighed pulling his blond hair back behind his ears, "and did enough 'favors' for them…which is why I knew the street name of that drug that's been put in those fake Duel Monsters cards…the… gang accepted me."

The blond couldn't look at Seto when he said the last three words. He turned his back to him because it was easier.

Jou pointed to a corner of the room. "We used to sleep over there when it rained or when it got cold."

Seto wrinkled is brow at that. "All of you? I find that hard to believe." Seto approached Jou quietly. "What were you? Hamsters?"

Jou turned his head a little to look at Seto and the ghost of a smile was on his face.

"No, Seto," he said. "We'd spread out to any space that was warm. Usually, I'd shove crumpled old newspapers into my jacket or something." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I meant that Kano and I slept in that corner."

"Kano?" Seto echoed with a note of displeasure. This was not something he expected to hear from Jounouchi. The dragon narrowed his blue eyes a little.

Jounouchi missed the look. He was staring into the past. "Yeah," Jou shrugged, suddenly feeling tired, "but I was the only person who could call him 'Kano.' He made everyone else call him 'Red Demon'—including Hirutani." Jou's thoughts reflected back for a second and he laughed to himself, "and that made Hirutani so _pissed_."

"I see," Seto said, feeling jealousy bubbling through him. He tried to fight it down. The great Kaiba Seto was better than that—much better.

"Kano and I… I suppose you could call our relationship…'complicated.'" Jou strolled, his eyes taking in everything and nothing. "I was pretty young back then. And Kano was always with me…watching over me…bugging me to give up this life. He kept telling me, before we'd fall asleep together each night, that I needed to just leave—face my father, go back to school, make friends and—" Jou's voice broke.

He ran his fingers through his blond hair to cover the embarrassment of being so weak.

"By then, of course, I couldn't leave. I was working for them and being their 'look out' and 'runner' because…because I was expendible…and the cops can be trouble. I mean, I couldn't run all that fast, but I could talk my way out of anything. I had a big mouth."

"Even back then?" Seto said sarcastically.

Hazel eyes flashed at him for a second. _Seto was just joking a little, huh?_ Then, just as quickly, the hazel eyes glazed over.

"Yeah…well…. I couldn't do what Kano wanted. I couldn't do what he said because that would mean leaving. I didn't care about Hirutani so much as I did…"

"Kano?" Seto said. But just uttering the name burned him somewhere.

Jounouchi looked down at his medallion. He held it in his hand and felt the cool metal in his palm. It was real. All of those things happened. He knew that if he said them, then it was true and he'd have to let go of what he was feeling. But the pain kept him tied to Kano. Even now, he wasn't sure if he could let go. Let _him_ go.

"Yeah… You see, he was the great…Red Demon." Jou took a slow breath. "All powerful… And it was a matter of honor. When you know that your whole life is total crap, honor is the only thing you have. And this," he said holding his medallion out for Seto to see, "was a promise to me that…that he'd…come…back to me. We both knew it was a lie…" Hazel eyes looked to Seto with tears in them. "After all this time…I guess, in a way, I'm still…waiting…for him." _Alone_.

Seto lowered his head a little and grimaced. "I suppose, if you search around here long enough, you'll probably run into him." He bit back the words he really wanted to say, angry and jealous. He cursed himself for feeling that—no, for being so _attached_ to Jou that he allowed himself to feel that.

"Wha-?" Jounouchi said. His reaction reminded Seto of the way Jou would act in class when a teacher woke him from a daydream. "Oh, no. Seto, his grave's not too far from here. I go every summer to visit."

Seto cringed and closed his eyes for a second. _Of course, that had to be the outcome. What was I thinking?_

"I had gone to a convenience store to steal something to eat," Jou continued. "You know me and my stomach." He laughed a little, but there was no mirth in it. Instead, his eyes looked haunted. "I knew when the fight was going to be. And I had promised to stay away." Jou scuffed the floor a little with his crummy sneaker. "He made me stay away… Like I said, it was a matter of honor even though Kano saw himself as a good-for-nothing. But, back then, we both were."

Jou walked slowly to where the giant doors of the warehouse opened. He turned around to face Seto.

"I wasn't here at the time. But the police were…when I got back. The gang was gone and everyone disappeared," Jou said, folding his arms defensively. "They say that the Red Demon left a huge blood trail. But knife wounds are like that." Jou walked a path forward and stopped. He pointed to a spot on the floor that had been bleached whiter than the rest of the concrete. "He died right there," Jou said quietly.

He took a shaky breath.

The blond, with arms folded, gripped his own shoulders tightly. Digging his nails in felt good for some reason. "But if…I had just been here… If I had broken my word and just hung out here… I could have saved him, Seto." He turned to his better half. "I know I could have!" He was shouting now for some reason he couldn't understand.

Seto stepped forward, put his hands on Jou's shoulders, and gently pulled the arms apart. Feeling a slight tug on his arm, Jounouchi fell forward into him. And Seto wrapped his arms around Jou's shoulders, tucking a blond head under his chin. "I don't think you could have." He felt the blond tense up against him. "And telling lies to the people you care about, isn't like you. And it wasn't what your relationship with him was about in the first place."

Jou pressed his face into Seto's neck. Seto could feel warm tears against his skin.

"After that, Seto, it was easy to face my father—no matter what he said or how long he was gone—and go back to school with a 'loser' reputation." More tears followed.

"I did everything that he wanted—including..."

"What?" Seto asked cautiously.

"He said that there would be someone else out there waiting for me." Jou wrapped his arms around Seto's waist. "I just thought it was some fairytale that he was telling me before going to sleep. But, he was right about that, too."

"Yes, he was."

"So," Jou said and wiped his eyes, "let's find these gangsters and get our friends back."

"_Your_ friends," Seto grumped quietly and let go of the blond.

"_Our_ friends," Jounouchi insisted. "They belong to both of us now."

Side by side, they walked to the door they'd come in together. They'd search the whole building if they had to.

Seto gave Jou a sidelong glance. Jou looked back at him with a thin smile.

"I hate it when you do that."

"Do what, Seto?"

"Smile…when you're absolutely miserable."

* * *


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

"Man, I hate feeling left out," Mokuba complained. He was in Yuna's hospital room and doing homework with her. Even though they were not in the same class or even attended the same school, as her _boyfriend_—she'd kissed him twice and that made them a couple as far as he was concerned—he felt it his duty to bring her homework so that she wouldn't fall behind.

Yuna, tucked into bed wearing a dark green bathrobe because she thought that the good "chi" from the color would speed her recovery, reviewed her words for English class but couldn't help herself when a smile tugged at her lips. She glanced up. It was cute. She liked the way his raven eyebrows pushed together awkwardly when he felt that there was some sort of mystery or adventure going on that he wasn't part of. The pout was cute, too. She wanted to hug him.

"I'm sorry, Mokuba-kun. Being with me must be frightfully dull."

His eyes widened. "Oh, no! It's just that Nii-sama's been busy a lot lately. And, I have this feeling," his eyes drifted to his personal guard in the room who was chatting on a cell phone and trying to keep it very quiet, "that something is going on. And I want to know."

"Oh, is that all?" Yuna said, smiling at him.

_Is that all? I tell her what's bothering me and_… He looked into her brown eyes and felt himself melt a little. _Cute! She's just so cute…_

"Could you hand me my cards?" She pointed to the tarot cards on the little night stand that also had a stack of school books on it.

"Uh…sure."

"Let's see what Kaiba-sama's up to." She winked at Mokuba and began to mix the cards in her hands. As she did it, she stared at nothing in particular. Then, her eyes drifted to the guard in the room. He seemed very keen on keeping his voice down low and responded with as few words as possible. _Mokuba's instincts are right. Something is going on._

She repositioned her brown meal-tray table. On it, Yuna cut the cards into three piles, stacked them back into one deck, and then began to deal the cards into a pattern.

"This is regarding Kaiba Seto-Sama," she said in a clear voice. The guard, a middle aged Japanese man wearing a dark suit and navy tie, practically jumped out of his skin when she said it. Yuna smiled at him scerenely and continued.

"Kaiba-sama," Yuna said, "Who is he?"

She turned the card and got The Emperor.

Mokuba looked at the card. "Yes, I'm sure that's how my brother sees himself."

"Everyone else does, too, with a few exceptions—like you and Katsuya-kun." She smiled happily.

"Fine," the guard murmured, "call me back." The guard closed his cell phone and pocketed it. He pretended not to watch them, but they weren't fooled.

"What does he want?" Yuna asked the cards. She turned the top one over. It was "Strength" but in the reversed position—upside down—and Yuna frowned a little at that. "Right now, he feels weak. He hates it. So, he wants strength. Actually, he wants a lot, but not for himself or for his own sake.

The guard's jaw dropped a little.

Yuna's sharp eyes caught it. _Aha! I'm right. He knows much more than what he's telling._

"Where is Kaiba-sama going?" Yuna knew before even turning the card over what it would be. The sad part was that she wasn't playing with just the major arcana cards. But that's what kept popping up. These things, she knew, were life lessons and things that were already set in motion. Mokuba, no matter what he did, wouldn't be able to change the outcome because it didn't concern him in the first place. The most he could do would be to watch. She felt bad about that.

"The Tower," she said without even looking at it.

"Bad, huh?" the raven haired one said.

"Usually, The Tower means 'an unavoidable fall.' But, I don't see Kaiba-sama falling. But, I feel like someone certainly did."

The guard's eyes were wide. He took a breath. No, this was stupid to him—and those cards had to be fake. He crossed his arms defensively, waiting for his phone to ring again.

Yuna continued, "Well, I see him in a kind of tower—but not like the one on the card. This is a big, metal tower—a building with high walls, small windows very high up, dirty floor with trash and broken beer bottle pieces… It smells stale there, too, like an old house. The doors are not just locked, they're chained and locked with combination locks."

Her eyes drifted to the guard. "You'll need tools—chain cutters-- to cut your way in."

She locked eyes with the guard. He held his breath.

"And I see boxes and boxes of things stacked up in two different places. And they both kill, in different ways."

She smiled thinly at Mokuba. "So, that's the tower Kaiba-sama is in now."

"Well," Mokuba said, "if there were cars, it could the parking garage at Kaiba Corp. But you said boxes stacked. So, I guess, it might be a warehouse…?"

"One last question, tarot," Yuna said. "What happens there? Why are you telling us this in the first place?"

She drew the last card. It was the "White Tiger 10 card." Yuna bit her lower lip at that. It was a card she'd seen before and knew well because she had once had a vision of herself tearing it in half before being stabbed.

"And that one is…?" Mokuba asked.

"It's an abrupt end to something you thought was permanent…or the beginning of the end." She intentionally avoided the word "death" because, most of the time, that card didn't predict a physical death. But, she knew that it could be one and, if so, it would be something that Mokuba couldn't prevent. She closed her eyes and searched for her angel—the one in the pharaoh's clothes—to see if he could tell her or guide her. There was a brief moment of joy and bright light. She grinned at him. But he simply motioned to the guard, hugged her, and then faded. Yuna's mind floated back.

"I don't get you, Yuna," he said, trying not to sound critical.

"Sorry?" she mumbled, still a little out of it.

"I said that I don't understand." Mokuba looked a little confused.

"Oh…It's the card of hardship."

Yuna's eyes flicked back to the guard. His phone was ringing in rapid little chimes. He picked it up on the tenth one.

"Him," Yuna whispered quietly.

"What?"

"Stay with him. If you want to know what's going on with Kaiba-sama, and to see it for yourself, stay with that one." She motioned to the guard.

He nodded with a wicked grin.

The guard reached for the door handle and Mokuba spoke up.

"Hey! You're supposed to be watching me!"

"Wha-?" the man said. "Oh, we think that's not necessary anymore." He said it with a shrug. He hoped that would be enough to escape the two of them. The pre-teen "puppy love" scenes were starting to get on his nerves anyway. So, leaving was just fine with him.

"Oh, no. You're not!" Mokuba put his foot down. "You were supposed to watch me and, until we both speak to my big brother, I'm not leaving your side!" With that, he marched up to the guard and stood there with arms folded.

"Okay fine," the man growled.

"Fine what?" Mokuba said, with a gritted grin.

"Fine…Kaiba-sama," the guard said in syrup-covered tones.

"Good! Then, let's go!" Mokuba said and waved a cheery "goodbye" to his pale but recovering girlfriend who made his day by winking at him.

Mokuba grinned on his way out the door.

Once she was alone, Yuna looked at her deck and asked quietly, "What will Kaiba Seto learn from this experience?" She turned the card over. It was the "Phoenix 8." And Yuna gave a sigh of relief. It wasn't half bad. "With all that's about to happen…" She murmured to herself. "Of course, putting the past behind you is a hard lesson, too. I hope he can do it."

* * *


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

"Let's go," Jounouchi said, his eyes worried. He could easily imagine all kinds of things that could be done to Anzu while Honda looked on, helpless. He pushed that out of his mind for now and prayed for a better outcome.

"One minute," Seto replied. He pulled back the left sleeve of his blue jacket and revealed a thick, silver cuff bracelet with the image of a Blue Eyes White Dragon in the center.

"I never took you for being much of the jewelry type, Seto," Jounouchi said, other than the locket you're wearing right now with Mokuba's picture in it."

Seto smirked a little. "This is something that I came up with." He pressed the dragon down until he heard a click and an electronic chime. "From this point on, my people will know where we are and can find us anywhere. If I click twice, that's the emergency signal. Now, we can go."

"Why didn't I get one?" Jou pretended to pout.

"Because I couldn't make a Red Eyes Black Dragon design for you quickly enough." His voice was laced with sarcasm.

Jou forced a little smile on his face as he walked. "It's a good story," he said sincerely, "even if it isn't true."

"Thanks" was followed by a chuckle.

Jou and Seto reached the door but, before they could go through it, Taka rounded upon them. Two of his three cohorts were behind him as well.

"Now, let's see," the middle aged yakuza behind Taka said authoritatively, "this one here, I believe, is Kaiba Seto."

Gritting his teeth a littke, Kaiba gave a nod in response.

"So, that one must be _Jounouchi_." The tone was different, somehow, with Jou's name.

The blond nodded. "We're here to get our friends," Jou said, his voice even. He knew how to deal with these types of people. No manners. No honorifics. And, most of all, he knew that he had to keep eye contact while using a steady voice.

"We decided to let the girl go," Taka lied. "So, we're not all that bad, right?"

Jou and Seto exchanged glances. It didn't make sense to let Anzu go.

_Maybe she talked them to death about friendship until they were begging to cut the ropes and push her out the door,_ Seto thought tartly.

"But, you," Taka said, pointing to Jounouchi, "I'd say you are a bit more interesting. Not like that other guy we have here at all." Taka glanced at his boss. The man gave him a slow nod in return. So, Taka carried on.

Seto bristled. He definitely did not like some lowlife yakuza calling Jou "interesting." Jounouchi, on the other hand, missed that part completely and had jumped to another topic. _"Other guy?" He must be talking about Honda_, Jou thought worriedly_. Good, he's still alive! _The Jounouchi's hazel eyes drifted to the floor as he thought about his friend. It was still possible to negotiate for Honda's life, after all. Maybe, they would be reasonable. If he could only find out what they really wanted, negotiation was possible.

"Oh, come on! You know that I'm talking about. I saw you on the rooftop and how you acted. It's your body language. I can recognize one of my own kind," Taka boasted giving Jounouchi a particularly stern stare close up to his face—definitely, a little too close for Seto's tastes. "We all come from the same background: poor, criminal, misfit... You are a misfit, aren't you _blondie_—in a Japanese world of dark hair? Your skin color doesn't quite match, either." He stroked Jounouchi's face with his hand and Jou cringed, but didn't move. "You could have been one of us, though," he said soothingly, talking to Jou but watching Seto's face twitch. "If you'd stayed in that middle school gang long enough, we would have recognized…talent. You've got it. We would have found you." He smiled in Jounouchi's face this time. "Maybe, I would have found you. You would be calling me 'aniki' (兄貴分, "brother") instead of that 'suit' over there controlling your every move." He pointed to Seto.

"He's more than a 'suit' to me," Jou said back, crossing his arms. His eyes caught the windows from up above. They were now in the wee hours of the morning. The pitch black sky was now navy blue.

"Loyalty is a good quality. I like that." Taka eyed Seto again, giving a viper's stare. "But I just can't imagine what kind of business relationship you'd have with him. You're too different." He studied Jou again, hand stroking his own chin in thought. "Just what has he got on you that would make you keep working for him?" he thought out loud.

"Nothing. You're wasting your time—and ours," Seto said coolly.

"No, there's gotta be something. Maybe you gamble when you play Duel Monsters…?" Jou rolled his eyes. _Nope not it._ "Nothing, huh?" Taka smiled a crooked grin. "Oh, yes—you both attend the same high school. That's how Jounouchi-_san_," he said while putting a hard emphasis on "san"—"became your _friend_ and won your _loyalty_." Taka said it with a disingenuous tone, sappy sweet. He turned his attention back to Jou. "But, you know what? Somehow, in my mind, I see rich boy over here beating the crap out of you for being poor…for being second rate. Oh, I'm sure that his excuse is that you are _annoying_. You don't quite measure up to his definition of "winner," huh? Has he ever called you names?"

Jou looked down for a second.

"I thought so." Taka smiled openly at Seto.

Seto clinched his fists and started beating up Taka in his imagination. _This is how a yakuza recruits,_ Seto thought to himself_. _

Taka's eyes took on a hard edge to them. "If you had to make a choice between your 'boss'—um…I mean…your 'friend, Seto'—and your _other_ 'friend'—who would win?"

"Kenichi, bring in the bastard!" Taka yelled over his shoulder.

The fourth yakuza entered the warehouse with his prisoner. Yugi, his hands tied with the yellow rescue rope he'd gotten Anzu out with, was being dragged by his wrists across the smooth warehouse floor on his stomach.

"Yugi!" Jou shouted.

"Oh, hell," Seto said, recognizing the pointy-haired teen.

"What happened to Honda?" Jounouchi demanded.

Taka smiled when Yugi said, "I helped Honda and Anzu get away. They got me. But it was worth it."

"Let Anzu go, huh?" Jounouchi said angrily. Somehow, the lie wasn't exactly a surprise.

"What does it matter? We still have your friend here." Taka leaned his head to one side and smiled. "You do want him back, right?" His eyes darted to Seto who had the unmistakable look of jealousy. Seto folded his arms and stared daggers at Yugi. And the young yakuza didn't miss the muttering of "idiot," either.

Slightly confused at Seto, Taka shook it off. _Must be some bad blood or a business deal gone wrong, knowing how he's a CEO and all_.

"With your permission?" Taka said to his boss and got a nod. "Thank you for letting me handle this little…problem. And, believe me, they won't be much of one when we're done." Taka walked over to the boxes of Duel Monsters cards and retrieved his Duel Disk from behind the last box. He grabbed a second Duel Disk in one swift motion. Then, he walked back and shoved the second Duel Disk into Jounouchi's stomach. The blond made an "oof" sound but tried not to reveal much more—keeping his face blank and neutral.

"I challenge you to a game," Taka said. "It's probably the most important game of Duel Monsters that you'll ever have in your life."

The blond didn't move. He just squinted at him in confusion.

"Do you have your deck with you?"

"Always," Jounouchi said, pulling it out of his pocket. "But what I don't get is this 'important game' part. So, what are you talking about?" Jounouchi asked, feeling his heart beating harder.

Taka nodded to the yakuza closest to Seto. "Take him," he said.

Seto found someone wrestling with him from behind. He tried to resist but saw that the man had a gun to back. "Work with me," the man growled with breath that reeked of frog sashimi, "or blondie over there is going to watch you bleed to death." Seto was about to retort when his eyes caught something on the floor. He was standing over the bleached spot—the very same place where Jounouchi's precious person had died. He took a sharp breath an allowed himself to be tied down. The yakuza laughed at him and pushed Seto down to his knees.

"Now, here's the rules of this game," Taka said. He watched his boss out of the corner of his eye take out a brown folding chair, open it, and settle down. This was going to be grand entertainment for him.

"This game is called 'Lamp Flame Before the Wind' and you," he said to Jounouchi, "will be that Divine Wind."

"I don't get you," Jou said, but even that was a lie. He knew what it meant. Hazel eyes found Seto kneeling down, helpless. It was almost impossible to breathe now.

Taka gestured to his right, Yugi, and then to his left, Seto. "The Duel Monsters game is simple. Of your little group, you decide…who dies."

* * *

Mokuba sat next to his guard and clicked his seatbelt. "You and I are going to talk to my older brother about why you suddenly didn't do your job," he said, fishing for answers. The raven haired child eyed him sharply. "Your job is to guard me. Do you stink at this, or what?"

Being one of Seto's "people" was considered to be an honor in the elite world of Japanese big business security. However, bratty little brothers, such as this one, were not part of the bargain.

"I'm sorry," the man grumped back insincerely. "I'm just following the information that I got. Now, I'm needed elsewhere, okay?"

"Nope, I'm coming with you."

"I'm going to take you back to the mansion. We've got two people stationed out there. They'll watch you."

Mokuba frowned deeply. "You'll take me to my big brother, or I'll have your head!" When he didn't get agreement, the dark haired child shouted, "HAVE I MADE MYSELF PERFECTLY CLEAR? NO? WELL, THEN!" Mokuba whipped out his cell phone threateningly and began scrolling down phone numbers.

"Don't tell me you're trying to call him." The remark was snide and in a childish, sing-song way.

_Thanks for telling me. That means I can't reach him right now. But, that's okay, too._

"Nope," Mokuba said, calming himself down as he scrolled through the list on his phone log, "I'm calling your boss. Kageyama, isn't it? That _is_ her name, right?"

A glare.

"I'm going to tell her all about you." Scroll. Scroll. Scroll. "Ah, here it is!"

"I hate this job," the man groaned and put the car in gear.

"Don't want it? That can be arranged, too."

"Okay! Okay, you win Kaiba."

"What was that?!"

"Sorry…_Kaiba-sama_."

"And you're buying me a chocolate parfait on the way."

"What?"

"I've got Haagen Dazs on speed dial."

* * *


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

"In this game, we have 4000 life points each," Taka said, stripping his shirt off along with the white, sleeveless undershirt.

Seto looked narrowly at the yakuza. Showing his toned torso off was a bit much under the circumstances. Then, Seto's eyes rolled inwardly when the teen turn his back on them to toss the shirt and undershirt to one of his cohorts, who was guarding Yugi with little effort, with the order "Oi, catch this!"

Taka had a full body tattoo of a shark on his back. The water was a brilliant blue and the shark's eyes, a soulless black.

Taka turned around again and pulled a long strand of his hair away from his face. "People in my line of work like to play cards like this," he gestured to his tattoos—including the carp on his shoulder."

Yugi seemed a little impressed. Seto was bored.

"As usual, we shuffle." Taka didn't bother to hold back an arrogant grin in Jou's direction.

Jounouchi frowned at him, but shuffled his deck. He'd been experimenting with a new fire deck that Seto had suggested as a change of pace. But, now, it seemed like a liability. He hadn't exactly used it in a duel—just practice duels with Mokuba. Now, he wanted his old, faithful "luck deck" back. He cringed a little as he shuffled.

"Trade decks."

"I know. I know," Jou griped. "I think I've played this game a few times." He heard an arrogant snort coming from Seto's direction. A smile tugged at his lips.

They cut the cards and handed the decks back.

"And we cut for rarity," Jounouchi said. As he gripped his deck, he allowed his eyes to linger on Yugi. He was sitting quietly, now, with his yakuza guard behind him with a gun. He wasn't paying that any attention. He was fully focused on the duel. His wide, violet eyes seemed to say "We'll figure something out, Jounouchi!" Jou nodded to himself and cut the deck.

"I have Infernal Flame Emperor," Taka said, smiling arrogantly. "A rare…"

Jou looked at his card and then flashed it tiredly, "I've got Ominous Fortunetelling…a common. So, you go first."

"I'm also going to win," Taka bragged. His eyes drifted slowly to Yugi. "Maybe, you're the one who will die. Maybe not. But, if he loses," Taka pointed to Jou, "then I pick who dies."

Seto was about to open his mouth to say something when he felt the cold gun barrel pressed against the back of his head. "No helping," the yakuza guard growled. _I wasn't about to_, he thought grimly. _But I would love to tell that prick off._

"I draw," Taka said. He put down three cards face down and one monster in face down defense. He smirked and uttered, "I end my turn."

The blond nodded. _He's got three spell and trap cards face down and a monster. I'll have to keep that in mind._ He chewed his lower lip in thought.

Jounouchi took two trap cards, placed them face down, and ended his turn. He thumbed through what he had left in his hand. And, while he still believed in the heart of the cards, those same cards seemed to be abandoning him. He needed to delay everything. He needed time to think.

Taka took a card from his hand and flashed it at Jounouchi. "I will summon 'Warwolf Trebuchet' in attack mode." The card showed a structure that looked almost like a catapult, but with a heavy counterweight and a sling for throwing objects. The wood and metal machine was flanked on either side by army officers in Thirteenth Century uniforms. On the field of play, which was almost the whole of the warehouse floor, a trebuchet formed from the ground. The sling appeared to be filled with a ball of red fire that was constantly spitting out sparks and small bolts of red electricity.

"Wait!" Seto shouted much to Jounouchi's horror, "There's no such card! That's illegal!" He got a smack to the face with the barrel of the gun and almost collapsed to the floor.

All four yakuza laughed at him.

"Well, there is now!" Taka countered with a smile in his voice. "Let's just call it one of our little… 'special' cards that I think will go over well once we sell them to the dealers."

"Drug dealers, you mean," Jounouchi shot back. He saw Taka's eyes widen. _Oh, hell. Now, he knows that I know. That was a mistake. _Was it Jou's imagination or did he hear a groan of annoyance coming from Seto. Yup, it was that.

Taka smirked, holding up fingers covered in ink. "You know, huh? Well, if you win, I just might let you have a little taste of this."

"Never," the blond said angrily.

"Goodie-Goodie." There was a slight rumble—almost a chuckle—coming from Taka. He was starting to feel the effects.

Jou shook his head with frustration at his opponent. "Someone very important to me once said that I needed to stay away from that stuff. And I still believe him." Jou's right hand made a fist.

"Why? Everyone does it!" Taka laughed, tossing his head lightly to one side. "Afraid?"

Jounouchi frowned as his memory flashed back to Kano. Jou could hear him say that the drugs were a part of their gang lives, for better or for worse, but to never take them. Kano wanted to leave the drug "transport" to him. All he needed was for Jou to be the lookout. Then, they'd split the left over money they got between the two of them so that they could eat dinner that week.

When Jou gripped his medallion again, Seto felt a stab inwardly. He knew who Jou was thinking about.

"Then, if everyone's doing it," Jou shot back, "go do it with them." Jou fidgeted a little and said, "Make your next move or end your turn."

"Fine," Taka replied and smiled a little seductively at Jou, "I place one card face down." The card appeared on the field—face down and sideways—in defense mode. Jou knew it was a monster. But a part of him really wished he could see what it was. He could be prepared if he knew.

"I place two cards face down," he said, almost as a mumble. "End turn."

As the pair continued to duel, Jou's mind raced. It seemed almost impossible for them. There were the three of them being held by four yakuzas with guns. The odds of breaking away and escaping were not good. He had to admit that one to himself. Then, his eyes caught the trebuchet again. He blinked at it.

"One minute," he said and bent down. Jou pretended to be tying his ratty old shoes. But, instead, he was glancing at the wall behind him. Jou smiled somewhat sadly to himself. _I don't know, yet. I just don't know. Wait, that's not entirely true. I didn't want to think about it. Still don't..._

He sighed and stood up—facing Taka with more determination now.

"Can we go on?" Taka asked, a little swagger was in his stance as he tried to stand in place.

Jou nodded at him with his jaw set.

"Then, I summon 'Blindly Loyal Goblin' and 'Dragonic Attack' to the field." Suddenly, a very muscular goblin wearing purple trousers and equipped with a sword appeared on the field. He had little devil horns and no hair to speak of. His eyes were as empty as Taka's shark. The 'Dragonic Attack' card, which was magic, equipped the warrior and made him a dragon-type.

Taka laughed a little to himself with "My goblin goes up 500 points."

"Yeah, I know," Jou said, and crossed his arms impatiently. "And that card is very much like you." His eyes turned to Taka's boss, sitting in the chair by the door.

"I'll take that as a complement," the other man called back, his voice in echo.

Watching this, Yugi worried. He could see Jou struggling. And he had seen him struggle in duels in the past, but this was different. Jounouchi made his moves easily enough—planned his strategy well and countered. But, for reasons beyond the game—Yugi guessed—Jou was at a loss. _In a way_, he thought, _his hands are tied even tighter than mine and Kaiba's._

As the duel continued, Jou's thoughts drifted to Seto. With a sidelong glance, he could see him, still kneeling on the floor, where that huge gorilla—yakuza—leaning over him with the gun caressed his face with it from time to time. Jou tried not to react when the man grinned at him. Instead, he tried to focus on blue eyes.

"I said," Taka griped, "I end my turn."

"Right," Jou replied, trying to make his mind up. Well, actually, he had. He'd done it long ago. But, now, it was getting to a difficult part. Jou had noticed a new element to his "delay this crap" strategy that didn't dawn on him before. The game would end if or when someone ran out of cards. Jou still had more than half of his left to play. Taka, on the other hand, didn't.

_And there's no guarantee that, even if I win, he won't just haul off and shoot everyone to death. _

Jou's eyes scanned the room briefly.

Okay, there was that one option. But he wasn't sure if it would work. He eyed the floor again and pretended to stretch.

"Getting antsy?" Taka teased as he saw Jounouchi stretch.

"Just been in one spot too long. Give me a second." He walked in circles a few times and ended up away much farther than he was before. The blond stretched again and tried to rotate his arm with the duel disk.

"So which one will it be?" Taka teased. He was toying with the cards in his hand. The young yakuza was planning on playing Inpachi. He loved that card—especially the way it was described. It was "a log that attacks lost travelers in the forest. Originally, a big tree, it was cut down and possessed by an evil spirit." The fact that it was 1600 Attack and 1900 Defense didn't hurt, either.

Jounouchi locked eyes with Yugi. To his surprise, Yugi looked away. What he didn't understand was the sudden glare that was aimed at them by Seto. It hurt. But, for the first time, the pointy-haired one realized that Seto had a jealous streak, most likely a big one, where their friendship was concerned. Under the circumstances, the blue eyed dragon stare didn't exactly feel good.

"Just duel," Jou said back.

"Oh, that's not what I meant," Taka said in a cheeky tone. "Will you pick your friend with the funky hair? A _best_ friend, perhaps?" He toyed with the cards in his hand again, but shifted his gaze to Seto. "Or, will you pick your-- What is he again to you? Boss? Classmate?" A shrug followed. "You certainly can't be a competitor or a true friend to him. Not even a rival."

That one hurt. It hit the mark and Jou's head suddenly lowered toward the ground.

_Hee…Gotcha!_ Taka thought_. I knew if I pressed him hard enough, I'd find a crack in the armor. His weakness was that Seto character. And 'Rich Boy' probably treats him differently or badly…or something…for me to get that reaction._

Taka fingered "Inpachi" almost lovingly, but decided against it. He took "Battle Ox" from his hand. "I'll place this one face down," he said happily, "and end my turn."

"Oh," Jou said.

"That's all you can say?" Taka teased. Things were finally looking up.

Jou took a shaky breath, glancing cascually around one last time. _Can't we all get away? Is there no other option? But picking someone close to me to die…is... _He thought about it again. "I suppose not," he mumbled, but it was thinking out loud, not an answer to Taka's question.

"Well…do something," Taka said with a smirk. "Or, do you want to pass your turn to me?"

_I guess, there's no avoiding it. But this will be the hardest thing I've ever done._ Then, his eyes caught Seto again and the bleach stain on the floor where he knelt.

_No, it's not the hardest thing I've ever done. _

He held on to his medallion tightly. Seto saw and looked away with a grim face.

"Well?" the yakuza growled.

"I know it's my turn," Jou said, "but I've got something that I need to get off my chest first. And, Taka, I have a good idea of what cards you have left in your deck. And you've pretty much used up all of your spell and trap cards. That leaves monsters. My guess is that I'm going to win in four turns."

Taka rested his hands on his hips. "Give it a try and see, asshole."

"I'm right, then," Jou mumbled to himself. "That's an amateurish mistake, too."

Jounouchi looked to Yugi. He smiled a little and told himself that it was a good thing that that they'd met when they did. "Yuge, you're my best friend. You're the one that I talk to and share things with. We've been through good times and bad times—even fighting against this guy over here." He gestured to Seto, who frowned deeply. "The person that I've become has been thanks ta you. And I'm truly grateful for it."

Taka sighed at Jou with arms folded. He was getting bored.

Now, Jounouchi looked to Seto who was scowling back with the eyes of an angry dragon. _That's typical and I'm glad_, he thought. _Now, I know you will be okay._ "I'm not your equal. I know it when I duel against you. I don't have that special place in your heart." He said it with a sad shake of his head. "But I also know that I've been incredibly selfish this whole time, too."

Seto stared at Jou with an eyebrow raised, head slightly tilted. "Don't ask for pity, Mutt. Get to your point," he said coldly.

Suddenly, it felt like old times. Jou smiled weakly.

Seto hated that. That hideous, puppy smile. And he would have crossed his arms defiantly if they had not already been tied behind his back. He was deeply pissed that Jounouchi had spoken to Yugi first and in more glowing terms.

Instead of being angry, of doubling up his fits and arguing back the way they always did in school, Seto noticed that his blond puppy smiled at him sadly with arms at his sides.

"I'm so sorry, Seto."

"Oh! So, you've already made the choice of who will die even before this duel is over." Taka was pleased with that. He liked decisive people.

"Yeah, you could say that," Jounouchi sighed, almost to himself. His eyes were downcast for a second. When he looked up, he noticed Seto's face. It was cold and his eyes were icy blue. Every barrier that his adoptive father had taught him was now up. Seto looked back defiantly, anger etching into his features. _You're betraying me and you're abandoning me. I'll get out of this somehow, and I'll make you pay!_

"Jounouchi, don't!" Yugi said, his voice pleading. "You can't do this! There's got to be another way. Don't give up." Some part of Yugi desperately wished for Atem. He would have figured out a way.

Seto glared across at Yugi with pure hatred in his eyes. "Easy for you to say! He picked _you to live_," Seto spat back. Yes, Yugi was the one Jou had chosen. Yugi was the one that Jounouchi loved better and wanted after all. Seto couldn't help but feel alone. He hardened his heart against Jou and all of the things that they'd said and done together. In time, he'd erase every memory of the two of them. Seto kicked himself again. Obviously, he'd been an idiot to feel things—to allow himself to feel things and be vulnerable. _I gave him the power to hurt me._ _Stupid. Stupid is all…I'll never make that mistake with anyone again._

"I'm sorry Seto," Jounouchi said. "I knew how this was going to end from the first moment I started the duel, from the first card. As I've said, I was never an equal. I'm not even your rival because _you_ _are_ the better duelist. We both know that."

"Well, it's good that you finally recognize it!" Seto bellowed back.

_I know why you said that, Seto. It's okay, though…_ Jou's heart was beating hard. "And I've been incredibly _selfish_ making this duel last so long. I just wanted to be by your side a little bit longer than necessary.

_Eh?_ Seto said, his eyes flashing in anger and confusion. _What the hell?_

"I just didn't want to let go of life—to let go of you—so easily." He smiled sadly again. _My heart is tied to you. I truly know that now. _"You see, I figured this duel out. There's three of us and only one had to die in this game…"

A tear splashed down on Jounouchi's cheek. His face showed no other emotion.

"So, I pick…me."

Calmly, Jounouchi covered the deck on the duel disk with his hand.

"Jounouchi, no!" Yugi shouted. "You can't forfeit! If you do…!" He turned his wide violet eyes to the other side of the field. A huge ball of red light was brightening in the trebuchet. It was going to launch.

Jou watched Yugi struggle against his bonds, head down and body trembling. _You were a good friend, but you're wasting your time. Just accept this._

Jounouchi turned his head to Seto. The look was sincere.

…_Forgive me…_

"My only regret, Seto, is that I never told you…'I love you'…enough times."

The trebuchet launched with a deep groaning sound, and the red fireball of sparks arced upwards and then hurled down at Jounouchi. But he didn't look at it. He wanted Kaiba Seto, even an angry one, to be the last thing that he saw in this world.

His last memory would be of him.

And that was all.

* * *


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

* * *

**Author's Note**: Chapter 40 will be the conclusion to my fic! Thanks for reading and reviewing all this time.

* * *

In her hospital room, Yuna couldn't get back to sleep. She kept dreaming about blond hair and hazel eyes. The eyes were crying.

She sat back in the bed and cut her tarot deck again. Something just told her to. And Yuna always went with her instincts.

She stared at the card and chewed a trembling lower lip.

_I don't want this! But it isn't about me. This life lesson isn't mine. But it hurts just the same._ Some part of her knew that her feelings did not go unnoticed by the angels. They had sympathy for her. And, in turn, she had to be just as understanding.

"Poor Kaiba-sama," she said as almost a sigh.

It was The Tower. And, in this case, the card was literal. There was no way for her to reach Mokuba, either. And, even if she could, she knew so little that it wouldn't be of use to him anyway.

The images flashed before her eyes again. Yuna held the card to her heart—hoping.

"When the Tower falls, Kaiba-sama, will you finally understand what you have been given?"

She took a slow, torturous breath.

"It was dear to you…can still be dear to you… Reach out when the end comes but your pride says…to let go. "

* * *

_Forgive me, Seto. When the flames hit me, they'll probably go right on through. I hope my life ends quickly. Those fake Duel Monsters cards aren't far behind me. And the boxes will catch on fire. No one will be hurt by them. No dealers will make a profit. No one else suffers. And, even if I can't save myself…I'm sure the thugs will try to save the cards. Escape when you can. _

_Be happy… _

_If the people I love are happy, there's really nothing else left to wish for._

The blond looked at him with a sad smile. He was letting go and Seto knew it.

"Goodbye..."

There was a faint glow against his face as the red death approached.

"Jouno-" Seto's mouth was hanging open, eyes following the red death that was speeding toward Jounouchi.

"Escape." Jou mouthed the word.

"HELL NO!" Seto shouted. Even though his hands were bound, he was able to stretch a finger to his bracelet and tap twice. Seto forced himself to his knees and then to stand even though he didn't have arms to support him. He barreled forward, deeply pissed that he hadn't called for help sooner. But his feelings of betrayal and abandonment had held him back—whether it was intentional or not, he didn't want to know. Seto left behind the yakuza who was guarding him with a gun. Probably the reason the thug didn't shoot him in the back was because he was curious as to how this would turn out.

All of the doors to the warehouse opened at once—blinding light flooding in. The first was Kageyama in a black top and camo pants. She had her gun to the ready and was leading the way with her timid, bookish boss following behind. Men in black suits entered and started waving guns at the yakuza—including Taka. Taka glared, started to put his hands up, and then went for a small gun that he kept strapped against his right shin. He'd fired two small caliber shots at Kageyama before running for the nearest exit.

"Stupid prick." One of Seto's men smacked Taka up side the head with his gun and forced the barrel into his ear before he relented. "You'd be a waste of ammo."

Men were shouting in the warehouse and Mokuba couldn't tell what was going on. Kageyama, covering a graze to her shoulder, approached the raven haired child. "Your brother would want you to keep to the corner," she said matter-of-factly. Instead of arguing, which he usually did with the men in black, he simply agreed and did as he was told. Her "tough love" tone had won him over. With a satisfied smirk, Kageyama stood next to Mokuba and tried to coordinate from there. But, with all of the echoes, the bodies in suits running everywhere, and the fireball to deal with, it was a difficult situation.

When the doors had been thrown open, Seto had barrelled forward toward Jounouchi at full speed—running into him like a rugby player, shattering his collar bone, and knocking him to the floor. The red ball of sparks flew past. It hit the east wall and set boxes of tainted Duel Monsters cards on fire. The flames shot up and were growing. A strong chemical smell filled the room as black smoke began to billow out of the first level of taped up boxes. The yellow-orange flames quickly spread to the second and third.

Seto was on top and Jou slid across broken glass from a beer bottle, cutting holes in his T-shirt with the weight of the two of them. Jounouchi screamed when it happed and Seto could do nothing but hear it. They slid into the awkwardly stacked crates that were against the wall. Jou's neck and chest ached with the feeling of Seto pounding his head into him. The muscles cramped hard, pain shooting through him. He struggled to breathe.

"Seto?" Jounouchi groaned.

Now, Seto was out cold and the crates were teetering. Jounouchi saw it. The wooden crates began to groan and shift. He pulled an arm up to his chest to push back the pain. It didn't work.

"You'll be okay. I promise," Jounouchi whispered, tears coming to him. He reached a hand to Seto's shoulder. _But I don't have the strength to move you. I hurt too much. You broke something when you hit me._ In agony, he rolled from under him and then rolled again-- his body on top—his forehead resting on top of Seto's--the one he loved. The scent of Cool Water Deep, one last time.

_I've made your life so hard. _

The tower was falling.

_Please forgive me for needing you so much…and live on. _

Falling crates blocked the light.

_And I'll cry in your place right now… because you can't._

Seto's face had warm, clear drops streaking down. He woke up a little to feel Jou's last breath on his face before the tower of boxes from above collapsed on them both.

_On the other side, I'll wait for you. Always._

Darkness.

The loosely stacked crates weren't more Duel Monsters cards, as Yugi had hoped when he saw Seto and Jounouchi's bodies slide away from the fireball. From the cacophony, the boxes seemed to have hard, metallic objects--all jangling and scraping inside as they fell.

A junkyard was falling.

Before blacking out again, Yugi's voice, screaming hideously, invaded his mind. Seto had always joked that Yugi screaming sounded amusing—girly. But, now, that he actually heard it again, it seemed heartbroken and panicked, too. The muffled voice was half-wailing, half-pleading for Jounouchi…and him. Then, the voice hit a higher pitch—screaming until his voice broke. Seto felt a sudden weight crushing down hard. Something warm and heavy was lying on top of him. It smelled vaguely like sandalwood.

"SOMEBODY HELP ME NOW!" Yugi shouted over his shoulder.

Several men in dark suits came rushing over—shoving broken crates out of the way, and clanking them to the floor. One broke open, revealing M16's and AK 47's—a lot of them.

"They were running guns, too," one of Seto's men said.

"Big surprise," someone grumbled back.

"Kaiba-sama?" another said worriedly, holding back the top boxes of ammo marked "farm implements" that were threatening to fall while his coworker lifted the lower ones with Yugi.

"I see…something," the man said, lifting pieces of a broken crate.

Yugi put his hands under the next box to lift it. One crate had broken open and nails were sticking out. Yugi cut his thumb on it. He winced but kept working. Suddenly, his hand came away warm and wet.

"Jounouchi!?" Yugi shouted, working harder to remove the next box when he saw filthy blond hair limp with shiny, red blood oozing out.

They took the rest of the pieces away and Yugi pulled Jounouchi free—cutting his right hand on broken glass as he dusted the blond's back off before stretching him out. One of Seto's men helped turn Jou over onto his back.

"Kaiba-sama?" the other man said, taking off his sunglasses and pocketing them. He stared down into Seto's face. "We've got him!" the man shouted eagerly to Kageyama.

Her ears perked up at her name. "What, the hell, do you mean by 'got him,' Sagara?" A tall, chestnut haired body was being dragged out. Kageyama came jogging over, even though it made her light headed. "What do you mean by--?" She looked down at Seto, all color draining from her. She knelt down, felt for a pulse, and flipped open her cell phone awkwardly with her left hand. She had the ambulance service on speed dial and it was a good thing, too. "Send someone over here quickly. It's Kaiba Seto and his…companion." Then, she turned her head in the other direction. Pointing at the far wall, she bellowed, "And somebody had better get off their ass and get a fire extinguisher. Put that fire out over there!"

* * *

Kaiba Seto woke up in a white room. Doctors were examining him and he, vaguely, remembered one of him—his private physician. Seto tried to focus on what was being said and decided that maybe it wasn't a good idea after all. His head was fuzzy, the world was slowly rotating, and it would probably be for the best to just sleep it off.

"I think he's awake," one said to the other.

"Kaiba-sama? Do you remember what happened to you?"

Seto's blue eyes squinted up at the physicians. He frowned. "I'm just really tired."

The three men smiled pleasantly to each other for a second. "Well, all of your tests have come back negative. That's good news. So, we'll just keep you over night for observation."

Seto lifted his head and glared at them. "Can I go back to sleep now?" he murmured. The three chuckled lightly. "Well, I've got to finish my rounds," said one as he reached for the door handle.

Footsteps.

It was quiet again. Seto began to drift when the memories of what had happened gradually returned.

_A red ball of sparks burned. Running. Falling. A loving voice in his ear. His face was wet. Jounouchi dripping a tear on him. It fell. A crushing feeling, hard and heavy. Buried alive but not alone._

_Oh, hell!_

Wide-eyed, Seto sat up in bed, clutching at the immediate headache that came with it. Pain. He pinched the bridge of his nose. Then Mokuba came bounding into the room. He grinned broadly, dove into the bed, and hugged his brother…

"Nii-sama! You're okay! They just told me I could come in."

Mokuba crawled closer to his brother and hugged him again. Seto did his best not to wince, but his little brother could hug hard. Feeling sick as he was, Seto held him and stroked raven hair for a second. It was the kind of thing Jou would do to Mokuba when the three of them sat on the couch and watched TV.

"Mokuba?"

"Yes, Nii-sama?"

He hesitated for a second before asking. "Jounouchi…?"

The door opened and both of them looked up. Yugi entered the room with an unreadable look on his face. Honda walked in behind him, head down. "You're awake. That's good," he said with a shrug. "Mokuba looks really happy, too. I'm glad." Yugi's voice didn't reflect anything at all that resembled happiness and Honda said nothing.

None of this mattered. His visitors were asses. Seto's eyes almost had a sense of challenge in them. "Jou?" Seto asked again, annoyance in his voice. He watched Honda flinch at the name.

"Yeah, well," Yugi said with his eyes beginning to shine with tears, "he…used his body as a shield…so that you'd be okay." Yugi's shoulders slowly bent lower as he spoke. His heart hurt. "I saw the whole thing, but couldn't get up in time to help. My yakuza-guard ran away as soon as your people came rushing in."

On Yugi's shirt, the chest had a palm-sized smeared stain angling down. It looked like he'd used his shirt to wipe his hand off.

With gritted teeth, Seto said again, "Jou?! Is he here?" This time, he watched Honda's face very closely. Honda's mouth was a thin line, his hands were in his pockets now, and his eyes were blinking up toward the ceiling.

_He's trying not to cry,_ Seto thought.

"Yeah," Yugi said almost immediately. "He's…here."

"Bring him in, then," Seto demanded.

Yugi, Honda, and Mokuba exchanged looks.

"It's just not sinking in with you, is it?" Yugi complained, trying to push back anger that was coming from somewhere. Yugi knew that this wasn't like him at all. He was supposed to be the thoughtful, forgiving one. But, right now, he just didn't feel like it. And Yugi guessed that some part of Honda blamed Seto for what was going on, too. So, now, they were both sending the CEO glares.

"That's not possible, Nii-sama," Mokuba said in a kinder tone, head down and cast in shadow.

Seto folded his arms. "Where is he?"

"Jounouchi's room is next door," Honda said.

"It's true." Yugi made a fist at his side. "I'm sorry Kaiba-kun." But his violet eyes didn't show sorrow. They were getting angry.

He'd had enough. Looking deeply annoyed and fatigued, Seto pushed down the railing and pulled his hospital gown closed in the back. "I'm going to see him." Seto got out of bed. Then, he put his hand to his head. The world was suddenly spinning hard. "Up" and "down" didn't exist and Yugi took his forearm. "Back to bed," he said coldly. Seto pulled his arm away once he got back in.

"Why should you care?" Seto said venomously. He desperately wanted to fight with someone and Yugi was an easy target.

"Because if something else happened to you, Jounouchi would never forgive me…or you." Yugi's violet eyes turned to him with a hard edge of determination in them—the very same edge that they had when they challenged each other to a duel. Face was the very image of Atem for a split second.

"You know, when Jounouchi told me that you and that pharaoh were the same, two people that made up one soul, I didn't believe him at first. But, now…"

Yugi shrugged, "I see it in myself sometimes, too. I guess, I'm growing up…something you might want to consider." He looked down at the band aids covering the thumb and first two fingers of his right hand. The glass on Jou's back had cut him a little deeper than he thought when he pulled his best friend out. But, in his mind, it was really nothing—just a stiff, plastic feeling on his fingers when he moved them.

"What, the hell, are you talking about?" Hard blue eyes were angry.

"Jounouchi isn't just lying awake in the next room. Like I said, he shielded you. Right now, they've wheeled him away on a stretcher to get an MRI. They're worried, Kaiba-kun. They're _really worried_." Yugi shook his head sadly. "You didn't see…what he looked like…when they took him." Violet eyes turned pinkish as they filled with tears and he rubbed his runny nose. "His head was bleeding when I pulled him out and… I was holding him, but he never woke up." Yugi looked down at his hands again—as if the blood was still there. Yugi shook the image from his mind and put his hand to the door handle, looking over his shoulder at the CEO. "You owe him, you know. I mean, he's my best friend and he's _your_…" Yugi stopped himself. He looked heartbroken at the man in the hospital bed. "And, he's yours… And _I'm not_ going to fight with you." He left.

Seto leaned back in the bed with his mouth open a little. _That brown stain on his shirt wasn't dirt or mud. It was blood, wasn't it?_

"Hell," he breathed.

Then, Seto looked up. Honda was still standing there. "What do you want? Get outta my room!"

The tone and words shocked Mokuba. The thought that someone could hear his brother speak that way embarrassed him, too. What if a nurse came in to see what was going on?

"I just wanted to say something to you besides the words 'Yugi's right.' I wanted to say that Jounouchi tried to sacrifice himself to save you—a worthless, scheming bastard who has called him names, and has done everything possible to make him feel bad about himself at school and the dueling arena. You're cruel, Kaiba! A total ass! And by some miracle, your 'bonkotsu' still…" Honda forced the words, "…he still cares about you…enough to die." Both fists were clinched as though Honda would punch Seto's lights out if he could. "I hate you so much."

Mokuba looked at his brother. But, his Nii-sama didn't say anything. He had no witty retort.

Honda narrowed his eyes. "I'm not perfect. I kept praying that the two of you would break up because you _are not_ the best thing for Jounouchi. You can't be! But, if he makes it through this okay," Honda growled, "I'll respect his decision. I'll accept the two of you as a couple."

And, with that, Honda left the room.

* * *


	40. Chapter 40

Final Chapter—Chapter 40

* * *

**Author's note**: Thanks so much to everyone who followed my story! I enjoyed your feedback and suggestions. I'm really going to miss you guys!

* * *

Jounouchi Katsuya was lying in the hospital bed. He had an IV in his left arm. His face seemed peaceful. His head was wrapped in a thick bandage but there were still droplets of red blood splattered in his hair. Only someone looking very closely could see it. Kaiba Seto could see it.

Seto had himself released as early as possible from the living hell hole that was called a hospital. He gritted his teeth in annoyance as they wheeled him to the limo with a very happy Mokuba by his side. Being wheeled to the limo felt weak and that sucked royally. Thank God there weren't any reporters there.

Seto had the limo driver take him home to the mansion where he showered, changed into a navy shirt and black trousers, and took the limo back to the hospital. Seto called in to work on the way—telling them that he'd be working from his laptop and monitoring all progress. Truth be told, Seto didn't feel like working, but the threat was enough to get the Kaiba Corp execs off their fat asses and to actually do their jobs while he was out.

The window to the limo had a fine spray of little water droplets. The sky was trying to decide whether or not it should bother to rain. Maybe it would in the afternoon.

Seto leaned against the armrest and looked out past the small drops to the blurr of shops and passing cars. He felt his heart searching for something to hold onto. And, as usual, it chose a bad memory.

They were back in the school auditorium. And the platform was crumbling:

"_Jou?!"_

"_My arm! Let go, Kaiba! My arm!" Jou's knuckles were white and the arm was shaking with veins sticking out of it like tree roots. _

_He tried to block it out, but Jounouchi was still screaming at him. _

"_Take my hand!" He ordered over another long, hideous scream that followed. "Move your other hand, and take my hand!"_

_They were both slipping again._

_Jou's face showed the agony that he felt. He moved his other hand up…and tried to pry Seto's fingers from his wrist. Seto gnashed his teeth and snatched the free hand roughly._

"_Let go!" Jounouchi ordered, "I am not taking you with me!"_

Seto entered Jounouchi's room and placed his laptop next to the chair. He watched the blond's face for a moment and tried to piece together the last few memories that he had in the warehouse. They were still vague and disjointed. Seto touched the sleeping face. _Wet. I remember something wet falling on me…but warm… A voice whispered to me, too. It was you, wasn't it?_

Now, Seto's eyes raked across the blond for a whole new set of reasons. He desperately wished that Jou would snore or show some signs that he was waking up.

_I need…_

He needed more than this. He needed to know that Jou was okay. He needed more than loneliness.

"It's me," Seto said quietly. "You know, that's what you always say at the front gate when you want to be let in, Puppy."

Seto got up, pulled over another chair, and flopped his feet arrogantly on it. "Wake up, I'm getting bored."

The blond rested quietly in bed, breathing slowly.

"If you make me wait much longer, I'm going to open this laptop and start working."

His blue eyes looked almost hopefully at the sleeping form. Nothing. Jounouchi took even breaths in and out. His skin looked pale and Seto turned his eyes away. "This time," he mumbled, "I don't like pale skin." He remembered their flour fight in the kitchen and smirked a little.

Seto reached down and took the laptop. He stretched out a little—his back in one chair and his feet propped up in the opposite one. Seto put the computer in his lap. The computer chimed and made little grinding sounds as it booted up. Seto logged on to the Kaiba Corp web site and put in his password. He began monitoring the progress of his subordinates and sending them e-mails—questioning their reasoning behind deadlines and account transfer requests. One particularly annoying purchase wasn't through a Kaiba Corp-approved vendor. Heads would roll over that one. The Kaiba Corp stock was down 9 percent. Another problem. _Who, the hell, put that meeting on my calendar for today? Cancel that._ He really needed a new secretary—maybe two. Research and Development wanted a bigger budget for next year. _What were they thinking?_ Every year, he gave them the lion's share. _They should keep their heads bowed permanently in my direction_. He typed on for ten more minutes and then suddenly stopped.

Jou was still lying all alone in the bed.

The silence hurt.

"You're going to make me say it, aren't you?" Seto grumbled quietly, closing the screen of his laptop. Ice blue eyes drifted over to the bed again. "If I do, will you hear me?" The soft breathing continued and Seto put his laptop on the floor. He moved his long legs out of the chair and stood up. Casually, he leaned over the bed railing and touched the blond's hand.

"Fighting with you is so easy. There's this fire in your eyes when you get mad, when I yank your chain. But, in the time we've been together now…when we fight…I would prefer to…" He sighed. "I want to make up with you." He leaned against the rail a little more. "Jou, you keep doing things that I hate. You keep putting me first and getting hurt. I don't want that…for us…" He felt himself getting angry at Jou all over again. Then, he bowed his head in defeat. "But I know why you do it."

Seto watched the calm face and deeply wished to see hazel eyes. Some part of him needed to watch that goofy grin that Jou always got when they were on the way to order pizza or ramen from one of the local noodle shops. It was a ridiculous, full set of teeth monkey grin, followed by a rejoicing set of steps and an awkward tugging on the right arm that Seto had come to expect and, now, Mokuba was easily copying. Jou would follow it up with an enthusiastic, "Oh, you have got to try this! Stop frowning back at me, it's good. Really! Eat first and complain to me later…maybe tonight on the couch?" The last part would be a good natured whisper that Mokuba couldn't hear.

_I need you to smile at me. Why won't you wake up and do that? _

"This is hard for me, too." Seto ended it with a sigh. "Once, you told me that everyone—every couple—will lose each other. But, it's really not 'time' that was your problem. It's saying 'goodbye'…like it's a burdon that you have to carry all on your own. Well, I'm not ready to say 'goodbye' to you just yet, either." He leaned over and touched blond hair. "If you die, I won't be able to follow you for a long time. You'll make me stay in this life to take care of Mokuba. I know you. That's what you've done so far." Seto rubbed one eye with his thumb because the room seemed watery. "If I can't go, you can't go. I'm selfish like that," he said with a shrug.

Seto lowered the railing. It slid down with a clean, metallic sound. He sat as close to Jounouchi as he could. "In the end, I wasn't a very faithful lover to you. No…it's 'soulmate.' That's what you told Namiko that I was. Still, I didn't believe in you. I thought you betrayed me and chose Yugi instead." Seto leaned in and caressed the pale face with one hand. "Do I really deserve to be happy…with you?" Lightly, he rested his forehead against Jou's. "You are going to make me say it, aren't you? Fine, then… Suki da yo, Jounouchi Katsuya," he leaned in slowly for a kiss, "My only love in this world. The only person I've ever truly wanted."

Seto bridged the gap between them. Lips almost touching, he could feel Jou's breath against his mouth.

"But, don't quote you on it…or you'll deny it," whispered the blond back. Hazel eyes half open now.

Seto jerked away, shocked.

Jounouchi blinked back with an innocent expression. "What did I do this time?" came the weak voice.

Quickly, Seto put a hand against a pale cheek-- fighting back a sudden impulse to grab Jounouchi and cling to him. "How long have you been awake?"

"Just now," Jou's eyes looked tired but a smile curled a little at the edges of his lips.

"I'm not mad. I was…worried," Seto admitted the last word reluctantly.

He held Jou's hand. The grip was weak, which concerned him. Not knowing how to react, he forced his face into wearing the usual mask of indifference that he wore for other people. And, usually, that worked. But, now, it just felt wrong and his control was slipping.

Jounouchi blinked back tiredly again. "A hospital… I'm in a hospital…again…damn…" He looked up into ice blue eyes that had tears in them. _Stop looking at me with such a face. I'm with you, and I'll make it okay somehow._ "You know, Seto… If I die now, I'll keep a light on for you in Heaven. I'll watch over you. Follow me when you're a very old man." There was a vague smile.

Seto looked at him incredulously, blinking hard to keep back tears. "Don't talk like that." His voice had a dangerous edge. "You're a Shinto anyway. Your religion is all about life. So, you can't talk like that."

"Everyone loses each other eventually," the blond said quietly.

"You keep saying that. Stop it." He sounded like a child, now. It made him angrier.

"But, our souls are tied. Red thread." The blond shifted a little in the bed. "I'll always wait for you—in this world and the next."

Seto stared darkly.

"I'm not afraid of it anymore—'goodbye,' I mean." Jou smiled over to him with dim, hazel eyes.

Seto could feel himself getting upset all over again—and Kaiba Seto does not cry—ever. He had to keep telling himself that. He bit his lower lip as a reminder.

"Now would be a good time to kiss me," Jou hinted. "And stop being mad at me."

"I'm not mad. I just said that earlier."

"So, I see," the blond returned with a smirk. "But, you could smile a little to prove it."

"Should I?" His tone softened.

"Yes." The word was almost a sigh.

"Right now, huh?"

"Yes."

_I can't stay mad at you for very long, but I know why…_

Seto really didn't need to consider it even though he pretended to. He leaned in closely, one hand laced with Jou's now. "Well, the doctors _warned me_…" Seto pushed brown hair out of his own eyes. The movement hid a smile. "…That you'll get better soon…" _But my heart was afraid that you'd never wake up, never come back to me._ Seto leaned in and gently placed his mouth on Jou's. He pulled back. "Ugh…morning breath," he said cringing. He heard Jou's weak laugh. Yes, Jounouchi was fun to tease a little and the laugh was nice, too. _It's a relief, really. _

"I always knew that you had a sense of humor."

"You've said that before," Seto pretended to complain, but his dark mood was lifting.

"Even if I'm the only one you show it to, it means everything to me."

Seto glanced at him in surprise, lowering his guard and forgetting to hide his expression.

Jou winked back.

"So, what should I do in the meantime?" Even though his face was stern, Seto had almost a playful sound in his voice.

"Go to work and see me later?" Jou said quietly, his eyes drooping again.

"Go back to work? I think I'll _go back_ to ignoring you," Seto said. He threw himself into the chair, reached down and opened the laptop. "I'm not leaving until they try to kick me out of here. Then, I'll offer to build a new wing onto the hospital, and they'll let me stay again."

Blue eyes cut to the bed as he heard the blond chuckle. It felt good. It really did.

"This puppy belongs to me." Seto reached over and took Jou's right hand in his left.

Keys tapped slowly. The laptop rocked in Seto's lap as he tried to press the "shift" and "4" keys at once.

"Typing is hard one handed," Seto murmured vaguely to himself.

"That sounds so hentai," Jou snickered.

"Dirty mind."

"Yeah, but you love me anyway."

"I do."

* * *

Mokuba was clearing the plates away. The cook had outdone herself with the meal that she made in honor of New Year's Eve. And there was another feast waiting on them in the refrigerator for New Year's Day. Mokuba was looking forward to eating more soba, chicken ozoni, and extra helpings of mashed sweet potato, too, over the next two days.

Jounouchi took the larger platters back to the kitchen. Thanks to his experience as a waiter, he was able to carry three heavy platters at once with no worries of dropping them.

Mokuba looked behind him and saw Seto come into the room with an expensive bottle of sake. "Ummm, Nii-sama?" the child said with a devious grin on his face, "Are you aware that the legal drinking age in Japan is 20?" He shot his brother a toothy grin.

"This was a gift from one of my executives," he said offhandedly. He put the bottle down on the table and went to the kitchen for cups.

In the kitchen, Jounouchi watched Seto retrieve a cola from the refrigerator and two china sake cups from a cabinet. Jounouchi stood there, arms folded with a confused look on his face. "Sake cups for cola?" He thought about it. "Oh, it's for Mokuba to celebrate New Year's," Jou guessed.

"Yes and no," Seto said.

"Eh?" Jou said.

Yes, a confused puppy could be fun sometimes. And, come to think of it, so was the feeling of having Jou following behind him. He could hear his puppy's feet pat-pat-pat on the carpet behind him.

Jounouchi's eyes caught the sake bottle on the table_. Oh, I didn't know that he had that. Hmmm… Seto's not much of a drinker... He really hates losing control. So, it's just a New Year's toast. Not a bad idea, though._

"Follow me," Seto said. Jou and Mokuba nodded.

Once inside the study, he took the TV remote control, aimed it while pushing the "volume down" button, and placed it back on the desk. Then, Seto pulled back the twelve foot silk curtains—showing a beautiful evening sky. The moon had a thin whisp of clouds in front of it. The stars were pinpricks of light.

It was almost midnight. Soon, they'd hear the temple bells.

Seto handed the cola to his brother. He opened the sake bottle and poured two cups. He handed one to Jounouchi, who accepted it with a thin smile.

"Try it," Seto said and watched Jou take two sips. Seto took two as well. The blond watched his face for a moment and the smile faded.

"Something is up," Jounouchi said, looking down into his cup.

"Oh? You believe that?" Seto said with a slightly amused tone.

"Yeah, and, to be honest, you're making me a little nervous." Jou held the cup with both hands. He didn't want his hands to shake, and this was a good way of hiding it if it did happen.

"What is it, Nii-sama?" The raven haired child took a big, noisy gulp of his drink and got a stern glare from his older brother. "Sorry," he said, holding back a burp.

"There is something I want to say." His eyes drifted to Jounouchi. "To begin with, Jou, I know that you're attached to your medallion, but could you…not wear it anymore?"

Mokuba looked a little confused. "It's just a necklace, right?"

Silence.

Jounouchi blinked at the request. His fingers found the medallion and held on for a second. The blond took a nervous, shaky breath. "There's a history to it, but…um…yeah. For you, I'd stop." Hazel eyes looked sad and almost guilty.

"Maybe," Seto said with blue eyes looking into him, almost into his soul, "that was an unfair request."

"No, that's not it," Jou said, shaking his shaggy blond hair.

"I'm not asking you to throw it away…just put it aside. Can you really do that?" Seto looked at him curiously, wanting an honest answer.

"Yes," Jou said, feeling slightly worried. "Does this have something to do with me moving in after the graduation ceremony in March?"

Seto looked out the window and into the cold, dark night. "Time really does pass, doesn't it?" He said it in a contemplative way that didn't seem like him at all. "The ceremony is in March and the new school year starts in April. Beginnings and endings are much like the New Year."

Jou nodded awkwardly, feeling the medallion clutched in his hand_. I guess, after all this time, I can finally let go of him. _He rubbed the cool metal between his fingers one last time_. I won't forget him, though, or what we went through in the gang._ He took his medallion off of his neck and put it in his pocket. Jou could feel his heart beat a little harder. His neck felt odd without the weight against him. And he felt sad.

"It's like a circle," Seto said.

"I suppose," Jou mumbled, looking down into his sake cup again. He was tempted to knock back the last of it out of nervousness.

"A circle—like these." Seto opened his palm which held two 8 mm platinum bands. The rings were ornately designed. One had "puppy" written in kanji going all the way around. The other had the kanji for "dragon" repeated across the band in the same way. They were edged in gold.

Jounouchi's jaw dropped.

"How cool is that?" Jounouchi said, picking up the ring that said "puppy." He stared at it. "It's just…wow!"

"Marry me…someday?" Seto asked quietly.

Mokuba's head shot up. He looked to Jounouchi with wide, hopeful eyes. _Say yes! Say yes! Come on, Jounouchi-nii!! Just say "__**yes**__!" _For a second Mokuba wasn't sure if he had said this in his head or out loud. It didn't matter, though.

He turned the ring over in his hands. "Yes," Jou said, awestruck. He couldn't stop the dark blush spreading across his face.

Seto smiled back. It was a gentle smile, small but sincere. "They don't make engagement rings for men. So, I had an artist make these instead," Seto explained. "Just keep it with you until the day comes—our day comes."

"But, how did you know what my size was?" Jou asked, staring at the ring.

"Last month, I measured your finger…with a red thread…while you were sleeping on the couch." He smiled down at the ring in the palm of his hand, proud of himself. Yes, it was another one of his clever ideas. The best, in fact.

Jounouchi's eyes sparkled. "Well, I love this," he said, hoping to kiss his CEO fiancé. He turned the ring over in his palm again, playing with it.

"But, that one's not yours," Seto said with a devious smirk and took the ring back.

"Wha-?"

"This belongs to you." He handed the other one over.

"The dragon ring?"

"It represents the person your heart belongs to," Seto said while taking out two thin leather straps. He tied the dragon ring to the first and put it around Jounouchi's neck. Jou took the other strap, tied the "puppy" ring to it and placed it around Seto's neck. Then, Jounouchi pulled back the collar and let the ring fall next to Seto's skin.

Seto shivered when the metal touched him. "Cold," he said under his breath—which made Jou smile.

"Keep it close to your heart so that it warms up," Jounouchi said, leaning in for a kiss this time. He wondered, briefly, if it was now okay to kiss him in front of Mokuba.

"I'm glad you said 'yes' to this," Seto murmured, leaning down and finding Jou's mouth. A chaste kiss in front of Mokuba would be fine, Seto decided.

"I'm so happy!" Mokuba shouted, putting his arms around both of them at once, shaking the kiss apart from jumping for joy. And, while, group hugs were really not Seto's kind of thing, he allowed it because Jou's arms were already around them both, too.

Mokuba ran to the desk, picked up his cola, raised it in the air, and said, "To our new family. To Kaiba Seto and Kaiba Katsuya!" He took a sip.

"Uh…Am I changing my name?" Jounouchi whispered, curious and not wanting to upset the happy mood.

"Only if you want to," Seto replied with a smirk. "I've got lawyers who can handle that, though."

Jounouchi smiled, grabbed Seto around the waist and pulled him near. Blond hair tickled when it got close. "Seto, I have a question?" Jounouchi whispered into Seto's ear.

"Oh?" Seto said, pulling the blond even closer to him with arms around his shoulders.

"Does this mean that we have to practice?"

"For what? The wedding? It may be a long while before we can do that. Let's just enjoy being engaged for now."

"No," Jou said wickedly, "for the honeymoon." He had to make two lunges at Seto before the CEO allowed another kiss.

"And I'm going to make you work for it, too," came the dragon's murmur.

Jounouchi snickered.

In the background, the television was on. It showed the media coverage of a very annoyed looking Minimoto Taka, famous yakuza and drug smuggler, being transported by the police from the courthouse to a maximum security prison. The cameras flashed and the reporters were all crawling over each other to get a better shot of the action. In the far left corner of the TV screen, sitting in a wheelchair and talking on a pink cell phone was a woman with black hair tied back into a ponytail. She had a small digital camera in her right hand, dangling over the side of the chair as she rested her arm. She looked very pleased, indeed.

Looking up from his kiss, Seto saw the television and froze.

"Namiko," he breathed.

Jou's head whipped around, and he followed Seto's stare. "Oh, _hell_…"

Namiko turned toward the television camera, took a picture, grinned widely, and winked.

-- -- --

THE END

-- -- --

* * *


End file.
